


The Revanchist

by Razial



Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Comic), Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2018-10-01 15:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 145,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10193129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razial/pseuds/Razial
Summary: Protected from the Jedi’s attempts to mind wipe him by the force, Revan slowly plans to destroy both factions. In a darkened sector of space a fleet of ships await the return of their leader, The Revanchist.





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a complete AU of the Knights of the old republic 1 and 2 story line and starts on Kashyyk with a new twist on how things could have gone. It also includes characters and story lines from the Knight of the Old Republic comic series.

The Revanchist

Author: Razial  
Beta: Hawklan

Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Wars or any of the connected media or the Knights of the Old Republic series. They belong to Disney and whoever owns the rights to the games and comics.

Pairing: Revan/Bastila, Zayne/Jarael

DS/Greyish Revan LS/Greyish Bastila

Notes: This is a complete AU of the Knights of the old republic 1 and 2 story line and starts on Kashyyk with a new twist on how things could have gone. It also includes characters and story lines from the Knight of the Old Republic comic series. 

Summary: Protected from the Jedi’s attempts to mind wipe him by the force, Revan slowly plans to destroy both factions. In a darkened sector of space a fleet of ships await the return of their leader, The Revanchist.

Chapter 1

(Kashyyk)

Revan looked out across the darkened forest that surrounded the landing platform as he sensed the presence of three Sith nearby, He wasn’t surprised they were here. Malak wasn’t a complete fool and he’d be on the lookout for them on every world where there was a star map. Glancing at his companions, which included Bastila Shan, Juhani, Mission Vao, Zaalbar, Canderous Ordo, Carth Onasi and the droid T3-M4, he wondered if they realized their mission may already be known to their enemies, out of all his companions only one was of real interest to him. That was the Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan, the woman who had saved his life when Malak had betrayed him. He had been dying after his flagship had been hit and Bastila, for reasons beyond him, had chosen to save his life. By doing so she had created a powerful force bond between them, their lives were now intertwined more deeply than even lovers could be. 

She then brought him to Dantoonie where the Jedi academy was, it was there they had tried to commit what he considered one of the greatest crimes ever. They had tried to destroy his mind, wipe out his entire personality so they could implant a new one loyal to them. The force had protected him by stopping them from effectively killing him. He had played along with their plans no matter how much it had angered him. He had played the weak new personality they believed to have created within him. After some basic training they had sent him to guard Bastila while she helped firm up the front lines against the Sith. Their small convoy had been ambushed and destroyed. Their ship was boarded and they were forced to evacuate over Taris. Bastila had been captured by a swoop gang, while he and Carth landed in the main upper city. From there they had begun their search for the missing Padawan. They gained the help of Mission and the others as they went along each helping in their own way. In fact it was simple to say without them all none of them would have gotten off Taris before Malak bombed it into rubble, just as he had with Telos IV. Telos should have been a warning that Malak was planning to betray him, but he’d ignored it as he planned the next major step of his campaign against the Republic and Jedi. That had been a mistake he had paid for dearly, but he intended to pay back Malak for his betrayal. 

After quite a few adventures on Taris they had finally located Bastila and after a rather enjoyable swoop race and a quick battle he had freed her. He remembered seeing Bastila in the cage the Black Vulkars had stuck her in and the rather flimsy garments they had put her in had immediately gained his attention. Perhaps the bond had begun to grow deeper by then, or maybe he had looked upon her without his anger at the Jedi Order getting in the way. Either way he had been taken by her looks and her rather feisty attitude after she had been rescued made her even more attractive to him. He had kept the truth about still being himself from her as best he could, even now he wasn’t sure if she knew or not. If she did then he had no clue why she was keeping it to herself. After getting of Taris they had returned to Dantoonie, not that he had much choice in the matter. Had he resisted he would have given himself away, and the last thing he wanted to do was give the Jedi another chance at trying to destroy him.

“I sense great darkness in the forest,” Bastila said, snapping him out of his thoughts of how he had come to be here. “I also sense a lot of resentment and anger,” she added glancing at him.

Every time Bastila looked at the man beside her it took all of her training not to give away the fact his entire life was a lie, that every action he took was based on things he had never learned or believed in. And yet there was that flicker every now and then in the bond they shared, it wasn’t something she had yet identified, but she kept herself on guard just in case the new personality the Jedi had placed within Revan didn’t hold. She still felt somewhat guilty for bringing Revan to them, they told her his mind was too damaged to be healed and thus they had inputted a new one. It was something that felt wrong to her deep in her core, and it wasn’t something she believed Revan would have wished for himself, enemy or not. Better to have died as he was, as he had been born than to become some blank slate easily programmed to do what the Jedi wanted. She frowned as she felt her inner voice chastise her for such thoughts, she was just a Padawan and had no right to question the Jedi Masters of the council. 

“You haven’t been keeping up with galactic affairs have you?” Revan asked calmly. “This world has been conquered if you will and enslaved by the Czerka Corporation, they have made slaves of the Wookies,” he spat. If there was one thing he hated, it was the idea of one person enslaving another enough to believe they had the power to sell that person to another. During both wars he had freed thousands of slaves, most joined him wanting to pay him back for their sudden freedom. They became some of his most loyal followers. It made him wonder if any of them had survived along with his other loyal followers once Malak had taken over. He had put a secret plan into effect with those who he trusted the most to flee should Malak betray him. They had a planned rendezvous spot chosen in a mostly uninhabited part of the galaxy. He just didn’t know if any of them had made it there, or if they would still be there waiting for him. But he intended to find out soon enough, with or without his companions. 

“How do you know that?” Bastila inquired with a raised eyebrow forgetting herself for a minute. 

“I actually pay attention to things that don’t include Jedi or the force,” Revan shot back. “There are more important things in life than most Jedi would believe, were they as noble as they like to project themselves they would fall on this planet and wipe Czerka out,” he growled as he continued. 

Bastila frowned as that sounded almost like something Revan would say and not Jaks Toulon, the personality the Jedi had created from his shattered mind. ‘Was it possible some small measure of Revan had survived the process, or was it more likely his mind had not been as damaged as the Masters had believed? But if that was true, then wouldn’t the Masters have detected it?’ she asked herself. 

“Hey Jaks it’s not her fault, the Jedi do kind of take themselves seriously,” Carth put in with a smile, when Bastila turned to frown at him for disrupting her thoughts on Jaks’s odd behavior just now. “They more than likely pass that on to their students,” he added. 

“Yeah just think back to your training with them,” Mission added helpfully. “They were all doom and gloom, and all they seemed to care about was the war and not what was happening outside of it,” she stated, while Zaalbar let out a mighty roar of anger as what Jaks had revealed had made him aware his brother’s evil had doomed his planet. It more than likely meant his father was dead he realized, unsure what to do he remained silent as a couple of Czerka guards approached them. 

Revan almost snorted at what Mission had said. His supposed retraining or what the Jedi would have him believe to be his actual training as a Jedi had been a sham. He had played along as the newbie who knew nothing about the force, he had called them Master and bowed and everything they expected out of a new recruit even if it sickened him. Oh how he had wanted to teach them their mistakes, for daring to think they could wipe his mind and remove him so easily. Make them regret thinking they could use him as some mindless puppet. The force had protected him and that meant he still had a destiny to complete. 

“Don’t worry Bastila, he’s only teasing you,” Mission whispered as she noted Bastila was still frowning at Jaks. “Don’t take it personally,” she added.

“Welcome to Kashyyk, before you can enter you must pay the local landing fee,” one of the guards said in greeting and each of the crew of the Ebon Hawk could see the greed in the man’s eyes. “And please keep your pet on a tight leash,” he added in warning. 

Mission shouted in anger as Zaalbar let out a growl of rage at being addressed as anyone’s pet, but before anyone else could say anything the man was lifted up and flung flying backwards. Bastila instantly turned to look at Jaks and she knew it had not been her who had done that. Glancing at Juhani showed she hadn’t done it either although from the expression on her face she wished she had.

“Have a care of how you speak to my friends,” Revan growled out as he eyed the fallen man who was helped up by his fellow guard while the three others aimed their weapons at him and his companions. “I don’t take disrespect lightly, especially from slavers,” he added in disgust as he looked the guards over.

“What the force are you doing?” Bastila demanded in surprise at the way Revan was acting, it was far more like whom he really was than the supposed new personality she had come to know in the last month or two.

“Taking a stand,” Revan responded with a quick glance at Bastila whose hand had strayed to her lightsaber. “Slavers are the lowest scum in the galaxy,” he added as the guard came back with his own weapon now raised. 

“You must forgive my colleague. He is still pretty new to the Order and our way of doing things,” Bastila said quickly, turning to face the guards and indicating the others to put their weapons away. “The Jedi have no position on your organization,” she assured them. 

The guards glared at Revan who glared back for a few moments before having a whispered conversation. Bastila could kick Revan/Jaks for his outburst. She was still worried it might mean something more, but it wasn’t like she could just ask him if he was still really Revan and not Jaks. 

“Fine, we’ll forget this outburst but the landing fee is now doubled,” the guard stated. Revan’s hand twitched towards his own lightsaber, but Bastila sensed his intent and quickly agreed, without the guards seeing anything she ran her hand gently over Revan’s.

It had the desired effect she had hoped for, any intent for violence Revan had vanished as he felt her light touch, and he turned to her in surprise as she gave him a small glare which told him she had known what he had almost done. Giving her a sheepish smile, he watched as she paid the guards the money in silence even though he still wanted to cut them down. He hated slavers and always had, having to work with them to achieve his goals while he was the Dark Lord had been a bitter pill for him and most of his loyal followers to take. But if it was one thing he had learned, it was sometimes you had to work with unpleasant people to get things done. Once Bastila had paid the landing fee they moved on. T3 was left to guard the ship with Juhani while the others moved on. 

Bastila pulled Revan aside and indicated the others to go ahead, Revan was a little surprised by the Padawans forwardness.

“What was that back there?” Bastila demanded to know. She didn’t say his name as his new one still felt foreign to her, and right now she was unsure just who she was addressing. 

“As I said I was taking a stand against evil just as bad as any Sith,” Revan responded with a simple shrug. “Just because I joined the Jedi that doesn’t mean I don’t have a mind of my own Bastila,” he told her, trying to be careful not to give himself away. “Slavers should be removed from the galaxy,” he stated coldly.

“That is not up to us to decide,” Bastila argued with a frown. “Jedi are supposed to be above such thoughts, we don’t get involved in politics or galactic affairs outside the Republic,” she continued. “It is outside our mandate,” she stated, making Revan angry. Bastila felt the surge of anger through the bond they shared, she stepped away from him but it quickly faded.

“Do you even listen to what you are saying?” Revan growled in response, unable to help himself. “Outside our mandate?” Revan continued. “Jedi are supposed to be keepers of the peace and a force for justice, yet they blindly ignore things like slavery just because it is outside of the Republic who also ignore it because it is convenient,” he spat, shocking Bastila with his anger at the subject. “Just like they ignored the Mandalorian invasion right up to the point I...” suddenly trailing off as he realized what he had been about to say. 

Bastila frowned at the slip and she felt a sudden drop in temperature as Revan stared at her. The bond flared between them but the images she could see in her mind went to quickly for her to see clearly.

“I…I don’t know why I said that,” Revan said, thinking quickly to cover his slip up. He wasn’t ready for Bastila to know he was still himself. “I...,” he trailed off hoping to convince her he was suffering some sort of memory slip. 

Bastila stared at Revan in confusion, unsure if Revan had genuinely slipped up in their heated debate, or he had a brief surge of memory from his former life. The bond was silent now, which meant he had to be suppressing it, frowning she stared into Revan’s eyes and tried to see within the man she had faced off against onboard his flagship. But she had to remind herself at that time he’d had on his famous mask. The mask he had worn ever since finding it on Cathar and which now lay safely hidden in her quarters on the Ebon Hawk. She had taken it from Revan as she fought to save his life. Instead of throwing it away she had felt the need to keep it safe. Why she didn’t know, but she felt the force would reveal its hand in time. ‘Did she dare try and see if this was indeed Revan standing before her?’ she asked herself. If the new personality the Jedi had installed within him had worked, he wouldn’t just be shocked to be called by another name but he would then seek answers as to why she had done it. For now she chose to leave it as is, but she would keep a closer eye on him from now on and on the bond. 

“It is okay Jaks, people say things in anger they don’t mean” Bastila said finally. “I get it, you feel strongly about this subject, but right now we can’t do anything about it,” she pointed out, watching Revan’s eyes closely. “We are on an important mission, nothing can get in the way of that,” she told him. 

Revan was watching Bastila’s eyes just as she watched his, watching for signs of deceit that she knew he was faking being the puppet the Jedi council had hoped to create. Neither got any of the answers they wanted, finally Revan turned and headed for their other companions. 

Bastila watched him go for a few seconds before following, she had an uneasy feeling the council had failed in their plans. But if they had and Revan still existed, then that meant they had lied to her about the damage to his mind. Her mind fought itself over what to believe. One part of her thought she should inform the council about her suspicions, but that was quickly shot down by another side of her. There was no real proof, but considering the way he had acted before it was possible he would slip up again if her fears about him were true. 

“So do we know where this star map thingy is?” Mission inquired as they headed towards the nearby village passing the Czerka station without going inside. 

“The vision Jaks and I shared showed it deep in the forest, it is surrounded by darkness,” Bastila answered. “Even darker than it is now,” she added. 

“The Shadowlands,” Revan said calmly, knowing exactly where the star map was located. “It is the only place it could be,” he continued before coming to a halt. Granted he didn’t need the star maps to know where the Star Forge was, he knew already, but he needed time to gain Bastila’s and the others loyalty for the fight ahead. Gaining Bastila’s loyalty was the key in bringing Malak and his empire down. It would be no small affair, but with her Battle Meditation it would be made easier and with fewer casualties. 

The Sith presence he had felt before had moved further away, clearly setting up an ambush for them. He glanced at Bastila and sent her a warning making her aware of the threat. Bastila cursed herself for not doing her own scan of the planet. But she had honestly thought they had eluded any Sith that might be tracking them. She was further startled when Revan made her aware there was probably more Sith on any planet with a star map. That made her stop and glance at Revan. ‘Was he guessing that or did he know for sure somehow?’ she wondered. 

‘How many?’ she inquired over the bond.

‘Three that I can sense,’ Revan responded, finding the bond very useful to talk to Bastila without any of the others listening in. ‘We must keep one alive to question before we kill him,’ he added before sensing Bastila was about to argue about killing them. “They will not surrender or give up until we are dead and more than likely considering Malak’s actions on Taris, you will end up in his hands,” he said, cutting her off before she could start. 

The very idea sent chills down Bastila’s spine and to her surprise she felt an echoing of that feeling from Revan himself. She searched the bond and to her shock felt anger at the very idea of her falling into Malak’s hands. She felt an almost primal possessive feeling for her from Revan, that fact stunned her. ‘They had only spent a short time with each other. Why did he feel so strongly for her then?’ she asked herself. When she actually thought over this revelation she found herself almost blushing in pleasure at gaining such a reaction from him. Her mind flashed to how he had reacted when she touched his hand. Frowning she cursed herself for such a thought, she was supposed to be a Jedi and Jedi didn’t have emotional attachments. Yet still she could not fully remove the pleasure she felt at gaining his attention in that way.

‘Should we tell the others?’ she inquired finally while doing her best to hide her reaction to her new knowledge from him. It would do them no good and only complicate matters. 

‘Once we’ve been to the village. We’ll have to go there to get entry into the Shadowlands,’ Revan added without thought before cursing himself inwardly at the second slip up he had just made. 

‘How do you know that?’ Bastila asked, forgetting any thought of Revan’s feelings for her or her own reaction to them. Her suspicions had been raised once more by his knowledge of things he should not know. Stopping she turned to face him once more. 

Revan didn’t doubt he had just stepped in it. There was no way to explain his knowledge. But if he was honest with himself, he was getting tired of pretending to be someone he wasn’t. He was Revan and he didn’t hide from anyone, the only reason he was still here was the knowledge that he would need help to destroy Malak and his followers. Bastila would play a key part in the war, and he intended her to stand with him against all others. Their other companions had proven their usefulness and he had grown to actually like and trust them, even in so short a time, even Carth a stanch Republic navy man. Glancing at the others who had continued to walk on, he wondered what to say. Thankfully he was saved by the fact they were suddenly surrounded by a group of Wookies who were all pointing their bowcasters at them. Bastila, he noted was frustrated by this interruption, but for him it was wonderful timing. Canderous and Carth he noted were slowly inching for their weapons, a fight here would be a mistake.

“Don’t do anything,” he ordered gaining the other’s attention. “They will take us to the village,” he told them when they looked at him in surprise.

A couple of the Wookies roared at Zaalbar, but the large Wookie didn’t complain, but neither did he back down. He glanced at Bastila and noted she too had noted their aggressive behavior towards them, somehow he doubted their trip to the star map was going to be anything but easy.  
2\. Chapter 2  
Note: Back from vaccation so I hope u will enjoy it. (Hawklan)

Chapter 2

(Leviathan)

Darth Malak stood on the bridge of his ship contemplating his next move, the news the bounty hunter Calo Nord had brought him had unnerved him. He had thought that he had taken care of Revan once and for all. He had taken a huge risk when he had ordered his ship to fire on Revan’s during the ambush by the Jedi and Republic forces. He knew if he failed to kill Revan, he was condemning himself to a slow and painful death. But it had seemed at first that his gambit had paid off. Revan was gone and he was finally able to ascend to his rightful place as the Dark Lord of the Sith, but Nord had told him that it seemed Revan had survived. There were few pictures of Revan without his ever present mask, but Nord had seen his face ones and recognized one of Bastila Shan’s companions as Revan. Nord had begged for a chance to serve and go after the Padawan. He had bombed Taris to keep it out of the Jedi’s hands. Malak wasn’t stupid, he knew Nord really wanted revenge for being beaten and left for dead by Revan and his companions. 

‘How had Revan survived his attack?’ he asked himself for what had to be the hundredth time. ‘Why was he helping the Jedi?’ was another question he kept asking. 

Clearly Revan must have been captured during the ambush, maybe in part due to his betrayal. ‘Had they come to some sort of compromise or was it something else?’ he wondered. ‘If Revan was alive and remembered what had happened, why had he not returned to reclaim the mantle of Sith Lord?’ he asked inwardly before growling low in his throat as he realized he had too many questions and no answers. 

“Admiral Karath, send me our best infiltrator team,” he ordered, knowing the man was waiting calmly behind him. 

“Yes my Lord,” Karath replied instantly daring not to comply instantly. He had learned quickly to be prompt where Malak was concerned, and to never question the man’s orders if he wanted to live. 

It took only a few minutes for the team to arrive. The team consisted of a motley group of people including two Sith. Malak looked them over, taking in their measure before he gave them their orders. 

“You are to infiltrate the Jedi Academy on Dantoonie and hack into the records there, including the classified files of the council,” Malak told them as he paced up and down. “It seems my old master has refused to do the simple thing and die when I tried to kill him. I want to know how he survived and more importantly why he now helps the Jedi,” he ordered, glaring at the men to ensure they didn’t question him. 

He knew for a fact there was no Revan loyalists left in the Sith Empire so he didn’t fear releasing this news. He had hunted them down and exterminated them one by one and in groups. Anyone he didn’t trust or believed he could turn or manipulate was killed. He knew there had been some defections, but it was clear they had broken up and scattered to the winds. Yes he had lost some ships when they had escaped his wrath, but in the grand scheme of things it meant little as he could easily replace them thanks to the Star Forge. If they meant to try and avenge their beloved Master, they would have done so already. But obviously the cowards had run and gone into hiding, all that remained now were those loyal to him and his vision of the Sith. He still had thousands of men at his command, hundreds of ships, tanks and other weapons. Still knowing Revan was out there side by side with Shan disturbed him. Shan had the special force power of Battle Meditation and that made her dangerous and being partnered with Revan she was lethal. 

He had already tried to capture her on Taris, but had failed, hence turning the planet into a slag heap as he ordered it bombed to rubble in the hopes of killing Shan. Sadly that had failed as he now knew thanks to Nord. So he had another chance to snatch her and if Nord failed then he had other options to ensure she fell into his hands. Folding his arms across his chest he wondered where they were now and if it was possible, thanks to Revan, the Jedi now knew about the Star Forge. 

“Go, carry out your mission and don’t return until you have that information,” he ordered as he turned and looked out of the large view port. He didn’t see them bow and leave, but he knew they had shown him the respect that was his due as their Master. 

“Revan is alive, is that even possible?” Karath inquired from behind him sounding very nervous just as he had been when he had obeyed the order to fire on Revan’s ship. 

“So it would seem Admiral, but don’t concern yourself,” Malak told him with a hint of threat in his voice. “He will never reach us, he will die before he gets close,” he added with enough confidence to calm Karath. 

“Of course my Lord of that I have no doubt,” Karath responded before moving away while trying to suppress a shiver at the idea of Revan getting on board.

Revan was everything Malak wasn’t when it came to being a leader, but one thing he did share with his former friend was the ability to make one suffer. He wasn’t known as the Lord of Revenge for nothing. Revan was one of the best soldiers he had seen with a keen tactical mind, he was to some power incarnate. But Malak had always seemed to him to have a greater vision for the Sith, a vision that would allow for far more material gain for those under him. Revan and those who had been loyal to him had been on a crusade. Not for personal glory, but to save something that in his eyes was long dead which was why he had joined the Sith in the first place, betraying everything he had once stood for.

+TR+

(Kashyyk)

Revan stared at the chief of the Wookiee village they had been brought to in disgust, it was clear this so called chief was actually compliant with the slavery of his own people. That was made clear by the Czerka guards he had near his throne, he had to be at least smart as he had clearly pulled the wool over his people’s eyes to get them to listen to him. The biggest surprise however had been learning this Wookiee just happened to be Zaalbar’s brother which is why the Wookiees were so hostile to him earlier, clearly some bad blood existed between Zaalbar and Chuundar. 

“You want to enter the Shadowlands, but will not say why,” Chuundar mused as he looked his brother’s companions over. “You come with my ‘madclaw’ brother armed and clearly dangerous if what the guards at the landing pad stated was true. Have you come to help him kill me?” he inquired with a growl. 

“No, we haven’t come to kill you,” Bastila said before Revan could stop her. “We didn’t even know he had any family until now, we just need to get to the Shadowlands,” she told him truthfully. 

Chuundar seemed to consider their request and it didn’t take long for a contemplative look to come across his features. “I will grant you your request if you do me a favour, in the Shadowlands is another ‘madclaw’ who needs to be killed before he causes any more trouble,” he informed them. “Kill this ‘madclaw’ in return for entry into the Shadowlands,” he offered. 

Revan frowned and exchanged confused glances with Carth and Canderous who didn’t seem to know how to take the offer, both were seasoned military soldiers, but even they didn’t seem to get what Chuundar really wanted or why this particular ‘madclaw’ had to die. Revan felt there was more to this story than Chuundar was saying. Bastila had also seemed to pick it up as well much to his relief. Still they had few options available to them without this turning into a huge mess. It seemed that at this point they had no choice but to do what Chuundar wanted them to do. But he would keep an eye out for an opportunity to arise that was better than working with Chuundar, glancing at the others he nodded to indicate they would do as he wanted. 

“It seems we have no choice,” Mission said bitterly, not liking Zaalbar’s brother for the way he had insulted her friend. “We’ll do your dirty work,” she muttered in disgust at having to agree.

“Excellent, one of my guards will show you the way, but only two of you may go,” Chuundar told them with what looked like a satisfied grin at making them agree to his terms. “I don’t trust outsiders, especially not ones connected to my ‘madclaw’ brother so chose who goes now,” he ordered, now glaring at them. 

The others began to argue immediately about being split up, but for Revan and Bastila. It was the perfect opportunity to talk in private, they quickly agreed at the same time. This shut the others up immediately as they turned to stare at them. Some with worry, this being Mission and Zaalbar, and the others in mild anger at not being able to go. 

“You sure about this?” Carth inquired, glancing in distrust at the Wookiee chieftain. 

“No other choice Carth, unless you want to do this the more bloody way,” Revan replied. “But Chuundar understand this, if any of my friends are hurt while we are gone and this includes Zaalbar you will wish you have never met me,” he warned, unafraid of the weapons pointed at him. “Don’t test me,” he stated before he turned to follow the chosen guard. Bastila glanced at the others before following, more and more convinced that the person she now followed was Revan and not the false personality the council had tried to install in him. 

Chuundar let out what he considered an unimpressed laugh, but inside he felt a shiver at the look the human had given him. He had seen the promise of death in those eyes and he was certain he had seen them shine yellow for a few seconds. Shaking those thoughts off he turned to his brother, clearly Zaalbar had come some way since they had last seen one another. An idea formed in his head. Maybe he could make use of him if he could poison his mind with some well-chosen words just like he had with his chosen bodyguards. 

Revan and Bastila followed the guard past the village and closer to the three Sith they had sensed when they landed, both were prepared for the attack when it came. As soon as they turned the corner close to where the guard said the lift to the Shadowlands was they came to a halt, standing in front of them were the three Sith. Revan growled in disgust at them giving themselves away, either they were overconfident or just brain dead. ‘What had Malak been doing in the months he had been gone? Had he lost all sense of precaution and tactical sense?’ he wondered. 

“Hand over the girl and you can go free,” the leader of the three Sith ordered. “Wookiee, this matter doesn’t concern you. Stay out of it unless you want to become a fur rug for Lord Malak,” he added as the Wookiee guard lifted his bowcaster a little. 

“Run now, before I really get angry,” Revan ordered as he felt the same intense feeling of possessiveness he had felt earlier on when they had been discussing Bastila ending up in Malak’s clutches. 

Bastila felt dread at their words, but that quickly faded as she felt Revan’s reaction to them. It was so extreme it left her feeling slightly tingly, emotions she had long suppressed fought to surface, but she forced them aside as she focused on their enemy. 

“You don’t scare us Jedi,” the second of the Sith spat as he and his companions pulled their lightsabers from their belts. “Hand over the girl, last chance,” he added as they ignited their weapons. 

Revan pulled his lightsaber faster than the Sith could react and he was on them in seconds. Bastila quickly followed with her double bladed lightsaber leading her charge. The Wookiee guard moved out of the way and watched closely as the five humans fought. Keeping his weapon raised, he decided to just watch and see who would win. The Sith were forced backwards as Revan hacked and slashed at them, his power was beyond what they had expected of a Jedi. They were forced even more on guard as Bastila got involved, the Sith tried to push back, but found Revan’s swordsmanship beyond them. He jumped over the two he had pushed away from Bastila, when he landed he used a force push to send one of them flying into the tree behind them with such force they could all hear something break as the man cried out in pain. 

Bastila focused on being as quick as she could with her blade, the double bladed lightsaber gave her far more leverage to keep the Sith off balance. She lashed out with a sharp kick as she spun around, deflecting another swing from the Sith. The man grunted as the kick connected with his chest. He stumbled giving her a perfect shot at his head, she didn’t hesitate and watched almost in detached surprise as his head came off and bounced away. She watched the headless body spurt blood before falling to the floor, turning she watched as Revan continued to force his attacker back before jumping backwards to avoid a thrust to his heart. The Sith charged forward only to be struck full force with force lightening. She had seen it before when Revan had used it on the bridge of his ship against one of her fellow Jedi. This more than anything confirmed in her mind that Revan was alive and well, how and why was the question foremost on her mind. 

Revan knew he had basically blown his cover, but he believed Bastila already knew the truth. Watching as the Sith dropped his weapon he stopped the lightening and shoved his blade into the man’s heart. The Sith coughed up blood then fell to the floor and slowly died as Revan removed his blade and shut it off and turned to face the still wounded Sith now moaning on the floor. For now he ignored the still armed Bastila who watched him warily, walking over to the injured Sith he smashed his booted foot down over the man’s chest and pushed, causing him to scream in agony. 

“Stop it,” Bastila quickly shouted moving forward while the Wookiee guard actually began to strip the two dead Sith of their weapons and anything else he found of interest. “You’re torturing him. Jedi don’t torture,” she spat in anger as she tried to push him away. 

“Try to remember just who this is on the floor Bastila,” Revan growled, trying not to be annoyed with her behavior and reminding himself that she had not been in a war and seen the things that he had. She was a woman raised by the Jedi from childhood, their mantras and code filled her head just as it had once filled his. “This man would gleefully rape and murder you if he could. He would hand you to Malak knowing you would be tortured and demeaned,” he told her in his coldest voice. 

Bastila stopped her attempts to pull him away as his words sunk in. She felt her body shake in fear at the pictures her mind conjured at his words. “Your pride would be stripped from you in slow and agonizing sessions of torture, nothing would be sacred as they know no bounds in gaining their goals,” he continued relentlessly as Bastila closed her eyes and tried to block out his words. “And to turn you to their ways they would not hesitate to do the vilest and wickedest things to you,” he finished.

Bastila backed away from him as her eyes opened and locked with his, her mind was full of horrible images and the more she tried to block them out the worse they became. Finally she stopped and with tremendous effort she calmed her mind and stopped the flood of images, using some of the Jedi code she managed to stop her body from shaking as she repeated it again and again. However it didn’t stop a rising anger at the Sith for what they would have done to her if they could. It didn’t stop her from beginning to see why Revan had acted so cruelly towards the injured Sith. Then her mind caught up to her and reminded her that Revan was once in charge of them, didn’t that mean he condoned what they did to their victims. 

“These are your men Revan so you should know what they can do,” she said, unable to keep herself for using his real name and confirming for Revan that she knew the truth. Bastila waited with bated breath for him to either confirm or deny the truth. 

“When I was in charge there was a certain level they were never allowed to cross,” Revan finally said after staring at her for a few minutes and knowing it was pointless and a waste of his time to keep the deception up. “Somehow I doubt Malak will be so generous to his captives,” he added. 

“So it is you,” Bastila said, feeling intense shock that she had been right, Revan was still alive. The councils attempt to create a new personality within him had failed. That begged the question ‘How?’ The Masters had been certain his brain had been damaged beyond hope of healing as he was, that they had to implant a new identity to save him, but with a new life that could be useful to them all. ‘So how was Revan still alive?’ she asked herself. 

“It is,” Revan said with a nod, forgetting the injured Sith for now. “I’m sorry for the deception Bastila, but I wasn’t about to give your beloved council another chance to murder me,” he growled with real hatred and anger in his voice. “And they did try and murder me. My brain wasn’t as damaged as they told you and would have been easy for them to heal,” he said, cutting off her expected retort. “Instead they chose to wipe my identity out with their combined powers, wanting to ensure I would never be a threat to them again,” he continued. “There was no option given to me to choose such a procedure not that I would have said yes if given the choice. They just did it out of fear and anger at what I had done,” he told her. 

Bastila wanted to defend the council, but found herself unable to voice any such protest against his words. A deep sense of disgust had formed in the pit of her stomach at the idea of the council wiping out Revan’s identity without his consent. As he had said it was an attempt at murder, something the Jedi were supposed to be strictly against. She tried to resist the idea the council had done as he had said, but she could sense he was telling the truth through not only the force but also the bond they shared thanks to her saving his life. She remembered seeing him lying face down bleeding to death after Malak’s cowardly attack, and the force had quickly surrounded her and prompted her to save him. Clearly Revan still had something to complete in the galaxy, some sort of destiny. 

“The force protected me and that is the only reason I survived what they tried to do to me,” Revan said, answering the question she had been asking herself constantly since her first suspicion had been raised. 

“Then why have you stayed with us, why not leave and confront Malak and reclaim your empire?” Bastila inquired in confusion. 

“Because the empire is flawed and thanks to Malak they will be nothing but a collection of murderers, rapists and opportunists,” Revan answered as he looked down at the wounded Sith who had stopped moaning and was just watching them converse in shock. Clearly he had heard what Bastila had called him. “It is just as corrupt as the Republic, as stale as the Jedi,” he stated and Bastila could feel his frustration through the bond as if it was her own. “I had hoped to use the empire and the Sith religion to save the Republic and the Jedi,” he told her, much to Bastila’s confusion. 

“The Republic is not corrupt and neither is the Jedi Order stale,” Bastila argued in an automatic response to stave off her confusion and more to the point her sympathy for Revan. She was treading dangerous ground here, she had always been told Revan was a master manipulator and she had to be on guard when he spoke. Yet she found herself trusting his words, the bond they shared helping to prove he wasn’t lying to her. 

“Kid yourself if you must Bastila, but don’t tell me you have not noticed the spreading darkness within the heart of the Republic,” Revan replied as he forced his boot back down on the Sith who had tried to remove his foot, but with little effect. “They allow slavery to exist, they ignore planets outside their borders where mass cullings are practiced,” he argued. “In the senate bribery and personal gain mean more than protecting the people. During the war it cost me thousands of men because all they were interested in was personal gain hence they had us attack planets which had large material wealth,” he told her with a dark look in his eyes as he recalled those days. “In trying to gain political power for themselves they interfered in military affairs costing even more lives. I grew to despise them,” he stated.

Bastila turned away from Revan not wanting to admit he was right, the Senate argued and schemed against one another. She had read all the latest intelligence the Jedi had on the Senate, while they served the Republic and the Senate they liked to keep a close eye on them as well. Power was a lure most men could not resist, even good men. Revan was a good example of this in her mind. “And the Jedi?” she asked after a few minutes, relieved Revan allowed her time to collect her thoughts. 

“The Jedi had lost themselves in a code that was created centuries ago. They have never allowed themselves to grow or improve,” Revan grunted in disgust and a shake of his head. “They still cling to archaic rules and have not taken into account everyone, including the Sith, have evolved,” he told her. “Their rule about emotions is so wrong it is surprising there are any Jedi at all. All suppressing our emotions does is destroy us from within as a buildup of frustration and eventually anger rises until the Jedi snaps,” he added. “It is unnatural to suppress our emotions, if they were meant to be ignored we would not have them in the first place,” he stated.

Now here Bastila could see Revan’s point, she had always had trouble keeping her emotions suppressed as she was meant to as a Jedi. It had always been the hardest challenge she had faced during training, and she could understand how Revan viewed it as dangerous. Yet she also saw the Jedi’s point on emotions, how they could lead to dangerous thoughts and actions. ‘How could both feel right?’ she asked herself. 

“The Jedi refused to get involved during the Mandalorian war. They’re the supposed protectors of the Republic and they did nothing,” Revan continued after a few minutes of silence. “How many thousands died while they sat and preached understanding and patience?” he asked her, but he didn’t expect a response. “Yet once it was Sith attacking the Republic they quickly jumped to the attack, it shows the Jedi have a rather short sighted view on things that don’t include the force in some way,” he went on in real frustration. “I met with the council time and time again and they wouldn’t budge, saying I was foolish by getting involved, that we had no right to act as warriors and leaders instead of peace keepers,” he vented as he recalled those meetings and transmitted the memories to Bastila through the bond. 

Bastila was somewhat startled by the sudden surge of memories, but she closed her eyes and actually studied them as they passed. She could feel the frustration and anger that slowly built in Revan as he tried to make the council understand his point. It was when she witnessed what he had seen on Cathar that she was almost sick. She stumbled as she saw the vision that had eclipsed all the Jedi when Revan had found the Mask he would wear all through the war and into his time as Dark Lord, she had heard of the Cathar massacre and read about it. But to actually experience it through Revan’s memories was something else, it was only then the council reluctantly gave Revan and his followers the okay to fight in the war and even then they refused to support them. It was the Wookiee guard roaring at them in impatience that broke up their discussion. Both realized they had gotten a little carried away.  
3\. Chapter 3  
“What were your orders?” he asked, turning his attention back to the wounded Sith with as much menace as he could muster.

“W….We were to watch for anyone coming for the star maps, especially Jedi” the Sith stuttered in fear, knowing he was dead anyway as Revan was known to not take prisoners, unless he needed to. The only reason he still lived was because Revan wanted to question him. “If the girl came we were to capture her alive and deliver her to Lord Malak at once, we were ordered not to touch her in any way and that Lord Malak would see to her torture and turning personally,” he babbled. 

“Are there any more of you?” Revan demanded to know.

“N…No I swear,” the Sith answered quickly after looking into the former Dark Lord’s eyes. 

“Where is Malak?” Revan asked, feeling once more that possessive feeling about Bastila and finally wondering when she had become so important to him. Oh he found her attractive and he liked her attitude, but he had only known her for a short time. ‘Was it the bond?’ he asked himself.

“The Leviathan headed back to the Star Forge to resupply for a mission he is planning, but we don’t know what it is, I swear,” the Sith answered quickly. “Please my Lord Revan don’t kill me,” he finally begged. 

“I’m not your Lord,” Revan spat before he decapitated the man with a swift slash of his lightsaber. He ignored the Wookiee guard who again pillaged the now dead Sith of any useful equipment he had on him. “I suggest when we get back to the ship you put the Jedi on alert, if Malak is planning something, it is more than likely it is aimed at the Jedi,” he suggested. 

Bastila nodded in agreement even as she tried to ignore the way Revan had executed the wounded man, Sith or not. 

The Wookiee finally began leading them to the lift once more, he intended to report what he had seen and heard to Chuundar once he returned to the village. Clearly these outsiders had brought trouble to their planet. He didn’t trust them and felt killing them would be the wisest options, but that was up to Chuundar as chief. They got on the lift and waited as they were slowly lowered down.

Bastila used the time to try and consider her options now she knew Revan still lived. Her first instinct was to warn the council, but knowing what they had done even if she didn’t really want to believe them capable of it, made her sick. They may try it once more if they knew the truth. Revan would not go quietly she knew and it made her wonder again why he had stayed with her and the others and taken the risk the council may find out about him. 

“You never did answer my question before. Why did you stay with us?” Bastila asked, deciding she may as well ask as they were lowered down and it seemed to be a long way down so she had time to get the answer she wanted.

“We need each other Bastila, it is as simple as that. We both want Malak dead and his empire removed from the galaxy,” Revan answered, knowing she would ask again given enough time. She was too tenacious not too, not that he minded as he admired it, especially in her. “Also I must admit I’ve developed a personal interest in you, one that goes beyond your skills,” he added, turning away slightly. 

Bastila fought to keep a blush from forming, but was only partially successful. Never in her wildest dreams has she expected that admission. “Are you out of your mind?” Bastila asked, using her shock to her advantage to cover how his admission had affected her. Those emotions she had felt when he was feeling possessive of her resurfaced, this time she had a harder time forcing them back down. “I’m a Jedi and you are a Sith Lord,” she reminded him pointedly. 

“I’m not a Sith Lord any longer Bastila,” Revan counted with a shake of his head. “To be honest I don’t know what I’m any more, Sith, Jedi neither really suit me,” he mused aloud. 

“I’m still a Jedi Revan,” Bastila insisted unsure of what else to say to him. 

Revan didn’t respond as he doubted right now she would be receptive to anything else he might have to say, he wouldn’t push her. The realization of who he was had to be shocking enough, even more what he had revealed the Jedi council had done to him. He would let it sink it along with his admission of liking her for more than her skills; he had time to win her to his side. 

“Moving along from that, I have grown to like and respect our companions,” Revan said, moving the conversation along. “They each have their skills, combined they make an unbeatable team and that is something we will need to beat Malak and any other challenges we face on our journey,” he told her with a smile. This second admission surprised Bastila even more. He noted her expression and had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “I’m not so stupid as not to see the advantage of having help. Or don’t you agree?” he inquired as they began to get near the bottom. 

Bastila colored in embarrassment at been called out, but quickly rallied. “No I don’t, if you were then you would not have survived the war or become the leader of the Sith,” she told him. “I just thought Sith didn’t care for anyone but themselves,” she said simply. 

“I would agree for most Sith, but as I said before I’m Sith no longer and even when I was I was no ordinary Sith,” Revan replied as they finally reached the bottom and stepped off the lift. The Shadowlands were the darkest place Bastila had ever been, there was some manufactured light clearly set up by Czerka so they could explore the area. “You see you don’t know the truth about me or why I created the Sith empire, why I came back to rage war on the Republic,” he told her as they headed off. 

“So why did you?” Bastila inquired with a frown wondering at his words. 

“That is a story for another time Bastila, for now I will make you a deal,” Revan responded, stopping and turning to her. “I will help you find the Star Forge and I will keep you out of Malak’s hands, in return all I ask is that you keep my survival a secret from the council,” he offered. 

Bastila wondered what to do, agreeing to his deal would be a betrayal of the order and yet she knew instinctively that she needed Revan’s help to stop Malak. “Ok I agree, so long as you help us and pose no threat to me or our friends I will keep your identity a secret,” she finally agreed and shook the hand Revan offered, almost unable to believe she had agreed. 

+TR+

(Dantoonie, Jedi Academy)

In the Jedi Enclave, which served as one of many of the Jedi’s smaller academies, the small four man council sat in silent meditation which was broken as each of the Masters felt a cold chill run through their body. The force seemed to darken and become less controllable, for the Masters it was an ominous sign. Each tried to slip back into meditation and try to find the source of the disruption in the flow of the force, but not one of them could do it. 

“I don’t like this,” Master Vrook Lamar said with a troubled expression and a disturbed tone in his voice. “Something has happened, something bad,” he added.

“It could be the source of this disruption is Malak himself,” Master Zhar Lestin suggested. “His power grows every day, it is possible the disruption is a warning,” he mused aloud to the others. 

“I don’t believe Malak is the source,” Master Dorak argued very troubled by this sudden break in his connection with the force. That it had affected each of his fellow Masters made him even more troubled and uncertain. 

“It couldn’t be Revan, could it?” Vrook quickly suggested as he had never been comfortable in letting the man live even with a new personality installed in his head. It was beneath him to feel such a thing as he was a Jedi and a Master at that, but he could not help it as he viewed Revan as one of most dangerous things the Jedi faced in any way shape or form. 

“Revan is gone Vrook,” Zhar reminded him with a patient sigh, knowing his fellow Master would never be objective where Revan was concerned. “He can no longer threaten us, Bastila and Juhani will keep a close eye on all that remains of him and that is his body,” he said with confidence. 

“You forget his power also remains, we saw it when they returned from Taris,” Vrook argued back, unwilling to let it go just let. “His connection to the force came back and we allowed him to train once more, something I still believe was a mistake,” he told them in a stubborn tone. “If any bit of his previous personality surfaces, we will be in more danger than ever before as he will come after us for revenge,” he warned them. 

“You are seeing threats where there are none,” Dorak stated calmly. “We have removed Revan from the board, now all we need to do is deal with Malak,” he added. “Bastila, the reprogrammed Revan and their group is our best bet of that and we must have faith that they will succeed,” he stated with belief. 

“Be on our guard we must be,” the final member of the group said. They turned to look at Master Vandar Tokare; the small green alien looked pensive. “I sense great change and danger, but the future is clouded and I can no longer see what may be,” he admitted.

“Should we contact the council on Coruscant and discuss this?” Zhar inquired in concern at his friend’s words. 

“They more than likely felt it too,” Dorak told him. “If they believed it was anything that could truly threaten us, they would contact us,” he pointed out. “For now I suggest we concentrate on tracing Malak’s movements, and hope he remains ignorant of Bastila’s survival,” he suggested. 

“When was our last contact with her?” Vrook inquired, deciding for now to let the Revan matter drop but in no way was he going to let his guard drop where he was concerned. 

“Two hours ago, they were about to land on Kashyyk,” Zhar answered. “Hopefully they will find the star map quickly and move on, we need to find this Star Forge and destroy it or our chances of beating Malak and the Sith are slim to none,” he told them. 

“Trust in the force and our friends we must,” Vandar stated with as much belief as he could before he got up and left the council chamber, signaling the end of the meeting. 

+TR+

(Kashyyk, Shadowlands)

Revan walked silently beside Bastila knowing the young Padawan was still digesting everything he had told her, he knew it was a lot to take in. He just hoped she kept her word and didn’t inform the council he still lived. He had no doubt that if she did a horde of Jedi would be sent to either finish him off or worse, capture him again so they could attempt to mind wipe him again. He doesn’t know if the force would protect him a second time. She didn’t seem the kind of person to go back on her word, but given their circumstances this may push her to do things she didn’t usually do. Still he was confident he could escape if he needed to. He had plenty of experience in escaping tough places. They quickly heard the sounds of a fight close by, and more to the point the sounds of what could only be made by a lightsaber. Concerned that the wounded Sith had lied to them and there was another squad here they rushed to see what it was. 

They were stunned to find a bald older dark skinned male in the clothes of the Jedi fighting a pack of Katarns. Glancing at one another they pulled their weapons and leapt into the fight, both on guard just in case this possible Jedi was actually a Dark Jedi instead. 

Revan cut down the creatures with ease; he ensured his blade didn’t even come close to the old man and especially nowhere near Bastila. He didn’t want her getting the idea he was turning on her, using the force he sent one of beasts flying into a tree with enough force to break its back. 

Bastila hacked and slashed left and right careful not to get close to the beasts claws. The creatures were aggressive to say the least. One leapt at her face, but she ducked and it went right over her. Sweeping her blade behind her she cut the beast down as it turned to attack again. 

Revan kicked another in the head as it charged him and then cut it in two, before watching as the older man killed the last of the beasts. The old man shut his weapon off and then turned to them, both Revan and Bastila kept their lightsabers on and stayed on guard. 

“Thanks for the help, but I had it under control,” the older man said with a grin. “Names Jolee Bindo, former Jedi,” he introduced himself taking in the fact they were still on guard and armed. “Not trusting people are you?” he mused.

“If you were us then so would you be,” Bastila responded. Sensing no threat from the man she turned her weapon off and indicated Revan to do the same. “You said former Jedi, does that mean you turned?” she inquired.

Jolee let out a quick chuckle at her question. “You Jedi are always so stiff, no I didn’t turn, I just quit,” he told her as Revan finally turned his own lightsaber off. “Quite an aura you’ve got there,” he said turning to look at Revan. “Damn I’ve never seen anything like it,” he added. 

“You can see force auras?” Revan asked with interest as he had known Jedi with the skill before and they had been useful. 

“Yeah always had the talent, but not much use for it here,” Jolee responded as he wondered why the two Jedi were here. “So why are you here? There isn’t much of interest on Kashyyk to Jedi,” he pointed out.

“We’re here for the star map,” Revan stated boldly. “We also have to find a supposed ‘madclaw’,” he added, deciding to see what the old man knew. 

“That blasted map won’t be of any help to you friend,” Jolee responded with a shake of his head. “I’ve tried to access it a dozen times, but it always says I don’t match the pattern encoded in its databanks,” he muttered aloud. 

Revan almost smiled at that, when he and Malak had come here in search of the star map he had placed strict security on it to ensure no one else, especially the Jedi would follow them. Things had been simpler then. He and Malak were still friends and both still committed to the cause. But Malak had let the dark side eat him from the inside out, he had become a monster. In fact he had become the monster they were supposed to be pretending to be. Malak hadn’t been the only one as half their fleet had become just like him. Relishing in death and destruction, searching for personal power only for themselves and forgetting the cause they had set out to do. Maybe had he actually stamped that part of his army out when it first appeared he may not be in this situation, but he had foolish believed he could still maintain control of Malak and those like him. 

Bastila sensed the amusement from Revan and tried to search for the cause, but the sudden flare up of anger at himself as well as a small sense of loss brought her up short. ‘Did Revan actually morn Malak’s betrayal?’ she asked herself.

‘I morn who he was Bastila,’ Revan answered over the bond. ‘Alec was a good man when we first set out to go to war against the Mandalorians, war changed him just as much as it changed me,’ he informed her. ‘When we took on the mantle of the Sith in our efforts to save the Republic we never considered the full consequences of what might befall us, or maybe we did and just ignored it,’ he continued. ‘Slowly real darkness and a lust for power grew in Malak until finally whatever was left of the good man he was died. His betrayal of me was the signal of Alec’s death and now there is nothing left but a madman,’ he finished with anger once more taking over as he recalled how close Malak had come to killing him. 

‘What did you mean by taking on the mantle of the Sith to save the Republic?’ Bastila questioned him in real confusion. 

‘Later, I told you before you don’t know the whole truth,’ Revan shot back. “What did you say old man?” he asked, not having caught what Jolee had said due to his internal conversation with Bastila. 

“Hey watch who you are calling old, kid,” Jolee shot back with a slight glare. “I may be getting on in years, but I’m not old. I could teach you things that would leave you begging for mercy,” he warned, but neither Revan nor Bastila believed his threat was serious. “Now if you are paying attention, I said I know where you can find the ‘madclaw’ although to be honest it isn’t mad in my opinion,” he told them as he rubbed his chin in thought. “Angry and sorrowful yes, but not mad,” he mused aloud intending them to hear him. “He is called Freyyr, used to be the chief of the Wookiee village you came pass to get here, but he was overthrown by his own son,” he explained. “Used to be able to talk to him, but these days he is bitter and more akin to attack any who approaches, but it is possible if you can help him that he will let you close,” he suggested. “I’ll show you where he is if you let me join you, I’ve grown tired of this planet and want to experience one last adventure before my time ends,” he finished with an offer.

Revan considered the old Jedi and while it was clear Jolee was as he said getting on in years, he still had plenty of power within him. He had been holding of the Katarns by himself before they arrived, and another Jedi in the group could be of help in the coming fight. Especially one who wasn’t indoctrinated by the Jedi code, Jolee said he had quit the Order which meant his training wasn’t complete and he may have views which were counter to what the Jedi believed.

“Very well Jolee, we have a deal,” he finally said, surprising Bastila by his agreeing to his offer. “You show us where this Freyyr is and you can join us, but I warn you, the business we are involved in will be bloody with a lot of fighting,” he warned. 

“I already could tell by your aura,” Jolee said with a grin. “I’ve been in some scrapes believe me, I know how to fight” he assured them. “Now come on, Freyyr is this way,” he said.  
4\. Chapter 4  
(Kashyyk, Wookiee Village)

Carth leaned against the wall of the hut they had been put in while they waited for the return of Bastila and Jaks. Canderous was over by the small window keeping an eye out. Mission was seated of the side looking pretty miserable as Zaalbar had been kept in the chief’s hut with his brother. Then again it was the first time since Taris they had been separated except when Zaalbar had been briefly captured. The two seemed almost like siblings even if they were from two different species. 

“I don’t like this,” Mission said finally as she jumped to her feet and moved towards the door. “I don’t like the looks of Zaalbar’s brother, I’m worried for big Z,” she admitted as she tentatively tried the door only to find it locked. 

“That Wookiee is no chief,” Canderous spat. “I can see it a mile away, he is a craven coward and would run from a fight if push came to shove,” he told them. “Had Jaks and his little Jedi princess friend let me I would have ripped his head off,” he added with relish and a gleam in his eye. 

“Only problem then would be we’d have to go through the rest of the Wookiees then,” Carth said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. “That kinda goes against us keeping a low profile now, doesn’t it?” he added. 

Canderous didn’t reply, just shook his head knowing the long time Republic soldier would never truly understand the Mandalorian mindset. He didn’t like the looks of Chuundar; any deal struck with him was bound to go unfulfilled. He could see it in the Wookiee’s eyes, considering the presence of Czerka guards keeping Chuundar safe it was safe to say the Wookiee couldn’t be trusted if he could sell out his own people. Slavery went against Mandalorian honor, at least where true Mandalorians stood. Those like Cassus Fett were betrayers to the code of honor most Mandalorians followed. The most clearly stated fact to support this was the Cathar massacre. A dark day in Mandalorian history, it had united the Republic even more against them, and worse it had been the event that had allowed Revan and his Jedi followers into the war. Revan had been the one man who had changed the war in the Republic’s favor, using the massacre as a rallying cry to renew the confidence of those fighting against the invading Mandalorians. Mandalore himself was cut down by Revan along with his entire crew during the final battle over Malachor V, that battle had been the death nail for the united clans as they scattered to the winds. Those of his people who followed the true path of honor revered Revan as a tactical genius. The fact he took Mandalore’s mask when he defeated him showed he was smart in the ways of war as he knew it would prevent a new leader from rising.

“Believe me Carth before we leave this village I promise you we will have to kill Chuundar because he won’t let us leave any other way,” Canderous finally said, shaking of his memories of the past which to him were best left forgotten. 

Mission and Carth both looked at their companion with some unease because they could hear the belief in his tone. Mission became even more worried for Zaalbar. What was he doing or saying to her friend? She wasn’t foolish enough to miss the anger in Zaalbar directed at his brother. Whatever their story was, it couldn’t be good for her friend to be left alone with Chuundar. 

+TR+

(Kashyyk, Shadowlands)

Revan lashed out with his lightsaber at the rather large Terentatek that had come out of nowhere. The beast was a result of dark side experiments made long ago. He hadn’t believed to find one on Kashyyk of all places. It hadn’t been here when he had first visited with Malak. Unless it had been in hibernation, if dark side energies were low the beasts would go dormant as they fed of those energies. The creature roared in pain, but didn’t fall. Their skin was thick Revan knew, from behind it Bastila and Jolee attacked with their own lightsabers. The creature tried to squash Bastila with its huge claw, but she used the force to jump out of its reach and right over its head. She landed beside him with ease. He tried to use the force to lift it up, thus making it easier to attack, but the thing seemed to be immune, much to his frustration. They both heard Jolee cry out as he was caught by the things arm and sent stumbling backwards, the force of the blow was enough to send him to his knees. 

“Damn, now I remember why I quit,” Jolee muttered with a shake of his head to clear his vision. “Bloody beast, die already,” he cursed as he got back to his feet slowly and jumped back into the fight. 

Bastila attacked again, swinging her doubled bladed lightsaber straight into a hard trust, but again did little damage. Revan began to grow angry and felt the all too familiar surge in the force as the dark side beckoned. He had to be careful here. Bastila was watching for any hint of his words from before being false. Something like force lightening would cement in her mind the fact he was still a Sith, which was far from the truth. Jumping over another wild attack from the beast he slashed his blade sideways, he was rewarded as the blade singed and cut the beast’s right eye. Before his feet touch the ground he was struck in the back by the creatures massive clawed hand and he was sent flying into a nearby tree. His head connected with the trunk and he saw stars. The Terentatek advanced on him, but Jolee and Bastila quickly moved to slow it down as Revan tried to recover. 

Climbing to his feet he flung his lightsaber out and watched it finally imbed itself in a wound Bastila had opened. The creatures roared as Jolee struck at the same spot with Bastila following. The Terentatek fell backwards as its insides were torn up by the blades. Revan ran and jumped up onto the creature’s chest and removed his blade and quickly stabbed it into the beast’s brains. The monster struggled for a few seconds before going still. Revan turned his weapon off and stumbled off the beast to the forest floor.

“Revan, are you okay?” Bastila asked as she rushed to his side and checked his head wound which was bleeding slightly. 

“Just a little off balance,” Revan answered as he took a few deep breaths. “Did I mention I hate Terentateks?” he asked with a wince as Bastila dabbed a cloth from her pack over the wound. 

“Who doesn’t kid?” Jolee muttered as he considered the pair. Having heard what the girl had called the male, he had to admit he was surprised. Revan was supposed to be dead. He heard the tale from the spacers who visited Kashyyk, which he always asked for the most recent news. “I thought you were dead?” he finally couldn’t help but ask. 

Bastila cursed as she realized her slip up, she had called him Revan in her sudden worry for Revan when he stumbled off the dead Terentatek. “Almost, Bastila here saved me,” Revan answered after taking the measure of the older man. “The Jedi tried to kill me a second time by trying to erase my mind, but the force protected me,” he explained and was surprised by the feeling of disgust he felt from Bastila over the bond. Clearly his tale of what her beloved Masters had tried to do to him had affected her view of them. He was pleased by this, but did his best to keep that from showing through the bond.

“Don’t talk to me about the council kid. Those old fools lost my respect the day they ignored a danger rising in their own mists,” Jolee spat in no little anger, surprising both Revan and Bastila. “A feat they repeated with you I hear, to busy clinging to age old rules and beliefs and not seeing the reality of the galaxy we really live in,” he grumbled, looking away briefly. “I take it the council doesn’t know you are still alive?” he questioned. 

“No, they don’t and I would appreciate it if they stayed ignorant,” Revan responded as Bastila finished tending to his wound and helped him up. “I have to much to do without their interference,” he told him. 

“I’ll say you do kid, it’s written in the very being of your aura for the entire galaxy to see,” Jolee replied. “I’ll stay quiet,” he promised. “Got to ask, what did you do to get your friend her to agree?” he wondered. 

“We made a deal, I help her stop Malak and keep her out of his hands and she keeps my survival a secret,” Revan answered with a smile at Bastila, still amazed she had actually agreed. “And her name is Bastila,” he added. 

“This gets stranger and stranger. Isn’t she the girl who was supposed to have killed you?” Jolee inquired as they walked on, only to come to a halt as Bastila saw something near the corpse of the Terentatek and bent down to check it out. 

“I didn’t kill him and I had no plans to kill Revan,” Bastila responded with a slight huff. “My mission was to capture him, although I thought our chances were slim,” she told Jolee. “None of us expected Malak to do what he did and when I saw Revan on the floor bleeding to death I felt the force surround me in a way I have never felt before,” she explained as she stood up and they both noted the sword handle in her hands. It looked old but was missing the blade, looking like it had snapped off. “The force didn’t want Revan to die, so I did everything I could to save him and in doing so created a force bond between us, so we can trust one another a little better than we would have done without it,” she finished.

Revan took the blade from her and ran his finger over the broken bit of blade sticking out of the handle. He winced as it cut his finger. “It is still sharp. I suggest we keep it as it may belong to one of the Wookiees or their families,” he suggested as he put it into Bastila’s pack.

Jolee continued to watch the two with surprise, the ease and familiarity between the two wasn’t something he expected to see between two former enemies. The fact they shared a force bond could explain some of it, but he got the feeling there might be something else. Either way he suspected this journey was going to be eye opening, and even now he could feel the currents of the force swirling around them, pushing them onto their destines. He had sworn off adventures, but now he felt he had to go and help them. He had one last chance to affect the wider galaxy and make up for his previous failures and he was going to take it, no matter what happened. 

+TR+

(Jedi Temple Coruscant) 

Jedi Master Atris sat meditating in the large and silent Dome of Tranquility. She had been summoned from her Telos Enclave to the main temple by her fellow council members themselves. She didn’t know why they wanted to see her, but she guessed it might have something to do with Revan, even reprogrammed as he had been she knew he was dangerous. She hadn’t been in favor of keeping the man alive. In her eyes he had done far too much damage to the Republic and more importantly the Jedi Order. Thousands had died due to his and Malak’s betrayal, they had also helped corrupt a third of the Order’s active Jedi. One of those Jedi was Meetra Surik, she had been in her eyes a promising student and one she took great interest in during her training. 

But Surik had followed Revan and Malak to war, from what she had heard she had become Revan’s most loyal friend and follower besides Malak. The very thought sickened her. How such a promising young woman could make such a terrible choice as to befriend first a rebel and then a monster, was behind her. Surik had been the only Jedi to return to face the Council’s judgment. She had been the first to judge her guilty and voted for exile. The very fact that Surik had been cut off from the force during the battle of Malachor V had made an exile the best option. The woman who returned from the war felt wrong an almost blank and absent in the force. It had been a truly disturbing thing for her and her fellow Council members to feel. She had become an open wound in the force and she had to be exiled for the good of the Order. Sighing she opened her eyes and gave up on meditating, her memories refused to stay away. 

Surik had refused to be cowed by the Council’s judgment. She had called them weak and fools for forcing Revan, Malak and herself to take the steps they had to defend the Republic. That it was their fault that the war had dragged on as long as it had, that they were in the end responsible for the changes Revan and the others had endured during the war. At the end of her speech, she had thrust her double bladed lightsaber into the Centre stone in the middle of the Council chamber. She had given them one last look of contempt before turning and leaving, she had not been seen since. 

When Revan was captured, she had almost been certain it would draw Surik back, but she hadn’t shown, much to her relief as they didn’t need another Dark Jedi running lose. 

“Atris, I’m sorry for keeping you waiting,” her fellow council member Vima Sunrider, daughter of the famed Nomi Sunrider, said as she entered the dome. “We have been consulting with the Chancellor all day, things have taken a turn for the worse I’m afraid,” she admitted with a tired sigh. “We thought capturing Revan would help us at least turn the tide of the war in our favor, or at least make the Sith back off and give us time to reorganize,” she continued as she sat down. “It hasn’t done either. Malak is relentless and without Revan’s more controlled advance he is striking in multiple places drawing our forces into battles where they are hopelessly outnumbered,” she explained. 

Atris could see the tiredness in her fellow Jedi’s eyes and it worried her. “Worse, unlike Revan who captured planets almost undamaged and kept their infrastructure intact, Malak is raising whole planets into cinder uncaring of their military importance,” she finished.

Atris frowned at the news, knowing it wasn’t good either for the Jedi or the Republic. Clearly while not as effective as Revan in military terms Malak was just as destructive if not more so. Without Revan in command there was no one to stop Malak’s lust for death and destruction, perhaps capturing Revan alone had not been a wise choice after all. They should have sent a larger team with a few Masters to help. They should have aimed at capturing both Sith Lords. Perhaps then the war would either be already over, or more in the Republic’s favor. 

“We have to kill Malak,” Atris finally said and was unsurprised by the shocked reaction Vima gave her. 

“Jedi don’t kill. I expect to hear something like that from Padawans and maybe a knight or two, but not from a Master,” Vima shot back. “What is wrong with you Atris? You’ve not been yourself since the exile of Meetra Surik,” she stated as she stood up and paced a little. 

“I’m sorry Vima. I’m stressed far more now than ever before,” Atris said quickly, knowing she had overstepped her bounds. 

Worse, she had probably made Vima question her mindset. She had to be more careful or her emotions would be her downfall. She was supposed to be a Jedi Master, but more and more of late she had begun to lose her control and her emotions were coming out more and more. The exile of Surik had been the hardest test of her emotional control. She needed to get a better grip on herself or she might find herself being judged by the council herself. 

“After talking to the Chancellor and his council it has been decided to withdraw from some of the battles we are currently fighting, and regroup our forces into a more able attack force,” Vima told her with a slight frown at her colleagues odd behavior, but for now she put it aside as they had more important things to deal with.

“That could work against us if Malak decides to attack through one of our weakened sectors,” Atris pointed out, not liking what she was hearing. 

“That was taken into account Atris, but we feel we have no choice,” Vima countered with a shake of her head. “If we keep going the way we are, we will have no forces left to fight Malak with,” she stated in a despondent tone.

“And what about Revan and his small group of followers? He has Bastila Shan with him whose Battle Meditation has kept the Sith at bay,” Atris couldn’t help but ask. 

“Revan no longer exists, his previous personality was wiped clean by the council, remember?” Vima responded with an aggrieved sigh, knowing Atris wouldn’t give up about this particular subject. 

“Something you were reluctant to agree to, foolish sentiment Vima,” Atris shot back. “We should have removed him permanently and ensured there was no way for him to come back,” she argued. “You all forgot that if Revan did somehow come back he would have Bastila in his grasp,” she pointed out while Vima did her best to keep her temper. 

“Forget this argument Atris. Bastila has the reprogrammed Revan well in hand,” Vima told her with some effort to keep her temper under control for the first time in years. “There is no way back for Revan, not now and you should accept that,” she added. “Now the reason you were called here is so that we can begin to prepare for the worst case scenario. We wish to move some of our most sacred Holocrons to your enclave, hidden as it is,” she said, swiftly moving the topic of conversation away from Revan. 

Atris almost smiled at this news, but managed to stop it from forming. She forgot all about Revan and Meetra and even the war itself. All that filled her mind was having the most sacred Holocrons of the Order in her care, more than likely there would be a few of the captured Sith Holocrons as well. All that information at her fingertips, perhaps there was an answer to the Sith problem in those Holocrons, one no Jedi had seen in many years. She tried to shake the idea from her mind, but it refused to leave her, still she kept any such thoughts from showing on her face or she really would be in trouble with Vima and the council. 

Vima left after an hour of discussing moving the Holocrons to her enclave on Telos, inside she felt the council was making a mistake trusting Atris. Something was wrong with the woman. She was someone she had never truly been comfortable around anyway. She remembered the way Atris had acted when Meetra Surik had returned to face judgment, she had seen real anger and even some hatred in the white haired woman, but the council had ignored it in favor of focusing their disfavor on Surik. Entering her room she moved to the window and stared out into the dark Coruscant sky. Her fingers grasped the medallion Ulric had given her just before he had died. Atris had been correct in one thing, she had not agreed with the council’s choice to wipe Revan’s mind. Revan had been an informal student of hers. He had come to her many times to discuss the history of the Jedi and the interpretation of the code. She had found him to have a unique view on the force and the Jedi as a whole. The council’s inaction however during the Mandalorian invasion had made him view them as old and ineffectual. 

‘What had Revan seen that had made him walk the path of the Sith?’ she asked herself for the hundredth time. She prayed it was impossible for Revan to return somehow, because if he did his thirst for revenge for what the council had done to him would be unstoppable. Letting out a sigh she turned and headed for her bed, it had been a long day and she had a feeling tomorrow wasn’t going to be any different.  
5\. Chapter 5  
(Kashyyk)

Revan took in the wild looking Wookiee as he explained how he had ended up in the Shadowlands. The fact that this was Zaalbar’s and Chuundar’s father was no real surprise. He had already guessed Chuundar would be willing to do anything to hold onto his power, betraying his father would mean little to him in the grand scheme of things. He could tell by the look in Bastila’s eyes and through the bond they shared that she was disgusted by the fact a son had betrayed his father. He sensed she was beginning to see the world less as the Jedi saw it and more as it really was. He had long learned this lesson during those terrible months before they had learned what the Mandalorians had done on Cathar and the council had finally given them their reluctant agreement to go to war. 

His Jedi tinted idealistic view of the galaxy had been stripped away forever. It was why so many Jedi joined him because once they had seen the truth there was no going back to ignoring it as the Jedi did. 

Bastila needed to see the way the universe really worked if she was to be any real use to him, she needed to see that the Jedi were wrong to keep themselves apart from the realities of galaxy. That their vaunted code was wrong, that they had become lost and arrogant in their belief that only the council could decide on the right course of action. This was a good first lesson for her. He needed to be careful though on how he won her loyalty. Bastila wasn’t stupid, she was wary of him and rightly so, but she also seemed to trust him to a point. Maybe due to the bond she had created between them or something else he didn’t know, either way he needed to build on that and make her see things from his point of view. 

Bastila frowned as she sensed something over the bond but not enough to know what Revan was thinking and so she decided to keep a closer eye on him. Just because she had made a deal with him that didn’t mean she was going to trust him fully, she didn’t kid herself that Revan had his own plans. ‘Right now their plans merged but what happened when Malak was dead? What would Revan do then?’ she asked herself. 

“Ok now we have ourselves a plan,” Jolee’s voice broke through both of their thoughts and made them refocus on what has been said. “We help Freyyr challenge Chuundar for control of the tribe and it seems that blade handle we found was sacred to their village. I’ve seen what that Sith spawn has done to his own people and if anyone needs killing, it is him,” he told them. 

“I can see why you left the Order,” Bastila responded, frowning at the older man who turned to meet her gaze. 

“Ah don’t give me that look girl, what the Order fails to teach their students is that sometimes there are evils in this world that need killing,” Jolee told her with a growl. “Redemption is all well and good, but sometimes that option doesn’t exist,” he added. “Ask your friend there,” he said with a strange grin while pointing at Revan, making Bastila stiffen in alarm. 

“Redemption is never beyond reach,” Bastila said and Revan jerked a little at hearing it. It was almost an exact quote of Vima Sunrider’s favorite saying, something she had come to believe from her experiences with Ulic Qel-Droma during her teen years. She had told him the story many times when he was still a Padawan. She had been his favorite, but informal, teacher back when he still believed in the Jedi code. 

“This is a waste of time, we have things to do,” Revan finally snapped. “We head back to the village now and deal with Chuundar,” he told them in a clipped tone. 

“What about the star map?” Bastila asked in surprise. 

“We don’t need it, you forget I already know where the Star Forge is,” Revan countered as he began to walk away. “But going there now is pointless, we are in no shape to fight Malak right now,” he advised her. “Seen as my cover has been blown, going to the planets where the maps are seems a waste, but it may at least help us build up our team’s skills and trust in one another,” he continued. 

Bastila quickly followed him in shock, it had not accrued to her that now she knew Revan still lived that he would know where the star maps lead to. This Star Forge sounded like a space station of some sort. She would ask him about it later. She had to agree with him that they were in no shape to fight Malak head on right now. To do so would be a foolish endeavor. 

“Smart kid, facing the Dark Lord alone some might say would be suicidal,” Jolee said from his other side. “He is bound to be surrounded by his followers, there to ensure you are weakened before you face him,” he mused. 

“That is exactly what Malak would do. He is no longer the man who fought beside me on so many worlds against the Mandalorians,” Revan agreed with a quick nod of his head. “Once the lust for power and the dark side changed him, he became more of a coward willing to win by treachery than face to face combat,” he told them. “Just look at what he did to me, instead of challenging me to one on one combat he tried to kill me by attacking me while I was fighting the Jedi,” he pointed out. “A cowards move, hardly worthy of the supposed Dark Lord,” he said with bitterness. 

“Knowing what you did about the Sith, what made you think you could use their religion to save the Republic?” Bastila asked as she recalled what Revan had told her earlier as he hinted at things she did know about him.

“The darkness cannot abide the light, but the light can abide and survive the darkness,” Revan told her. “I hoped to make the Jedi stronger, make them evolve into something that could meet the real enemy head on with no hesitation and no weakness,” he explained. 

“What real enemy kid?” Jolee asked as he tried to follow the conversation and both of them noted the smile that crossed Revan’s face as he asked that question. 

“Now isn’t the time for that answer, we have work to do, so put it out of your minds and focus,” Revan finally told them in response. “When I’m ready to tell you, you’ll know,” he added when he noted their looks of frustration. ‘And you Bastila deserve it more than anyone,’ he sent through the bond sorely for Bastila’s peace of mind. 

Bastila frowned as she considered what Revan had revealed since admitting his survival and it painted a very confusing picture. Hinting at some hidden enemy, what he called the real enemy? What did he mean she asked or more importantly who did he mean? 

“Bastila when the fighting starts, don’t hesitate to act,” Revan cautioned her as they approached the lift back to the village. “From here on out, we are in danger,” he stated. 

Just as Bastila was about to respond figures appeared and took up positions in front of the lift, two looked like Wookiees, but the other one looked like a human. As they got closer Revan and Bastila realized they knew the human, it was Calo Nord. The man they had met on Taris who had been working for Davik King. They believed him dead when Malak had bombed Taris after being defeated by them when they had commandeered the Ebon Hawk from King. 

“Nord,” Revan growled with a glare aimed at the other man. 

“Thought me dead didn’t you Toulon or should I call you Revan?” Nord taunted in response and a smirk. “I once saw a picture of you without that accursed helmet you always wore. I recognized you the moment I saw you,” he told them his smirk growing. “I told Malak about you as soon as his men found me and begged his leave to come after you, my orders are simple, kill you and bring the girl to him,” he stated, unaware of the mistake he had just made. 

Bastila was again filled with the possessiveness of Revan where she was concerned, still wondering if the bond had joined them far more closely than the council had surmised. She allowed herself to briefly bask in the warm feelings that made her feel, before shaking her head in annoyance with her own foolishness for such a thing. Revan wasn’t someone she should be feeling such things with, not that she should be feeling any such things for any man. She was a Jedi and any attachments were forbidden, but even as she was telling herself that the feelings refused to fade completely. 

“Big mistake Nord, coming here for revenge,” Revan told him as he pulled his lightsabers and readied himself for battle. “You have no idea what you are facing,” he promised.

Nord laughed as he pulled a thermal detonator from his pocket. “You think I’m scared of you, the supposed big bad Dark Lord?” he said still laughing. “You were beaten by Malak with ease, you are nothing but a fraud,” he stated as his laughing stopped. Revan felt his anger spike at been laughed at. Bastila felt it as if it was her own even trying to block it didn’t help. “I will kill you and make myself a whole lot of money, and then I will hand you little friend over to Lord Malak and watch as he pleasures himself with her after he has broken her,” he went on. 

He didn’t get to finish as Revan let out a yell of anger and force jumped towards him. Nord threw the detonator at Bastila and Jolee, but both jumped out of its range and it exploded harmlessly. Revan was on Nord in seconds as Jolee rushed one of his Wookiee guards, clearly some of Chuundar’s followers. Bastila engaged the other with a flurry of strikes, but the Wookiee parried them with his own sword. Nord was used to fighting with his blasters, but his enemy was trying to gut him at close range, so he pulled a sword he had been gifted by Malak and defended himself. The sword had belonged to a former Sith Lord that he forgot the name of, but according to Malak its blade was poisoned with a poison created by Sith alchemy and sorcery. He may not be as skilled with a blade as he was with his blasters, but he knew enough to hold Revan at bay, but the pure power of Revan’s attacks made his arms hurt as he parried them. He gritted his teeth and tried to push the man back, this had little effect as Revan easily absorbed the attacks before unleashing his own. 

Bastila dived under the swing of the Wookiee and swung her lightsaber in a backwards arc, but the Wookiee managed to avoid it and went back on the offensive. She was pushed back by the pure strength of the Wookiee, but she kept her footing and fought back. The Wookiee was put off balance as she came back at him swinging her lightsaber in a wild arc before lashing out with thrusts and slashes, it didn’t take time for her to find a weakness in the Wookiee’s guard and without remorse she cut it in half with a slashing swing across its chest. The Wookiee had tried for one cry of pain before it died. 

On the other side Jolee was far more ready for the brute strength of the Wookiee he was fighting. He had fought them before, during his adventuring days a long time ago. He countered each of the wild attacks of the Wookiee’s sword, absorbing the blows before he unleashed his own attack. Jumping over the Wookiee’s head he slashed his blade downwards and caught the Wookiee in the shoulder. This made it roar in anger and pain and it tried to attack him with a thrust aimed at his chest as he landed. Jolee quickly rolled out of the way using the force to increase his speed somewhat. The Wookiee tried to catch him, but left himself overbalanced in his attack and Jolee instantly dived forward and imbedded his lightsaber into the Wookiee’s heart and it dropped dead instantly. Jolee shook his head in annoyance wondering what they had been promised if they helped this bounty hunter and he didn’t doubt that was what this Nord was. He’d seen his type before, arrogant and only caring about how much money he could make for himself. Shutting off his lightsaber he turned to watch the fight between Revan and Nord. 

Bastila hesitated wanting to get involved and she was still influenced by Revan’s anger, but she managed to stop herself and tried to regain control of herself. 

Revan ducked and dived out of the way of Nord’s sword, the force gave him warning not to let the blade touch him. Jumping out of the way of another swing he tried to strike at Nord’s back, but Nord managed to jerk out of the way. The bounty hunter attacked him again, this time aiming for his unprotected side. The blade almost cut him except for Bastila’s sudden intervention, she had sent her lightsaber into the path of Nord’s sword with only one of its blade’s active. She had sensed the threat through the force and acted on instinct. It had the desired effect and deflected Nord’s strike into the ground. Nord growled in anger as he tried to re-balance himself. Revan force pushed him away, allowing him to nod in thanks to Bastila. He charged Nord as he tried to right himself, cutting into his side a little as he passed. Nord swung around and just missed Revan’s back as he went by. Revan then turned and thrust his hand out. Nord stopped his own charge and clutched at his throat. He dropped his sword as he was lifted upwards. His face quickly turned blue as he tried to breathe, but found no oxygen at all as his sight began to fade. 

“Revan,” Bastila said, moving to his side as she reclaimed her lightsaber. 

“No Bastila, I will not spare him,” Revan cut her off before she could say anymore. “Thanks to this piece of slime Malak knows we are alive and he knows what we are doing. Nord is the worst kind of bounty hunter you could find,” he told her grimly. “If he was paid enough he would kill anyone, he would rape, murder and pillage with no remorse,” he continued to hammer his point home. “At least I have a cause to fight for and you have a cause as well, but this man has no cause all he cares for is his greed,” he added. 

“Then finish it and quickly, don’t torture him,” Bastila spat in anger. “I get it, alright? Some people need to be killed, but torture doesn’t impress me,” she told him with a glare. 

Revan looked at her for a few seconds before conceding her point and nodded in agreement, turning back to Nord he twisted his hand somewhat and they all heard the man’s neck break. His lifeless body dropped the ground and silence resumed in the Shadowlands except for the nearby wildlife. 

Bastila grimaced in distaste as she stared at the dead body. 

“I’m sorry Bastila that my means of keeping you safe don’t sit well with you, but when one is at war one uses any means to survive,” Revan told her. “It is a lesson I learned well. Had I not used all methods available to me I might have died and then you would be taken to Malak and that is something I promised to keep from happening,” he pointed out. “And I keep my promises,” he stated while locking gazes with her. 

“I’ll say you might have died and it would have been a painful death kid,” Jolee’s concerned voice made them both turn to face him and see him kneeling near the blade Nord had been using, but not touching it. “This blade is the sword of Ajunta Pall, said to be poisoned and infused with the darkside,” he explained at their looks. “Had he caught you with this then you would have suffered before you died,” he said with a shiver. 

“More than likely Malak’s intention in giving him the sword,” Bastila mused with her own shiver now understanding why the force had pushed her to intervene in the fight between Revan and Nord. “He was hoping Nord would get lucky and kill you by sheer dumb luck, just like when he attacked your ship,” she realized at the end of her statement. “He really is afraid of facing you one on one,” she said turning to Revan.

“Of course he is. He knows while blade to blade he might be my equal he doesn’t match me in raw power of the force,” Revan replied as he wrapped the blade in Nord’s jacket, the arrogant idiot hadn’t even been wearing any proper armor. “This should be returned to the temple of Ajunta Pall where it belongs, angering the ancient Sith spirits by taking their things without their permission is a dangerous and stupid thing to do,” he explained as they all got on the lift and pulled on the wire to alert the guard to pull them back up. 

“Bounty hunters, ah no class or sense of honor,” Jolee muttered to himself loud enough to be heard. “He did at least give us some solid information, the Dark Lord knows you are both alive,” he reminded them.

“Which means we will have to be even more careful now,” Revan responded as he put the now covered sword into his backpack. “No one goes anywhere alone,” he stated to which the other two nodded. 

‘I appreciate your efforts to keep me out of Malak’s hands Revan, but please remember I’m still a Jedi,’ Bastila told Revan over the bond. ‘Torture and cruelty will not make me trust you more than the small measure I do due to the bond we share,’ she added. 

‘I understand Bastila, but as I said in war you use all methods available to you,’ Revan calmly replied. ‘Perhaps in Nord’s case I went a little overboard due to my anger, but at the end of the day he was the enemy and he chose to be that and he chose to come after us,’ he pointed out. 

‘Speaking of your anger, I felt it almost overwhelm me and I don’t like the idea I could be so influenced by your emotions over our bond,’ Bastila cut in. ‘I know it is asking a lot, but please try and keep your emotions under control,’ she requested. 

‘You are asking for far more than you know Bastila as I’m a man of deep emotions, once you allow them to surface you find you don’t want to bury them again,’ Revan responded. ‘But I will try and keep my more negative emotions in check,’ he offered. 

Knowing it was the best she was going to get Bastila decided to just accept it. ‘Thank you Revan,’ she said as they finally reached the top. 

“Is the ’madclaw dead?” the guard demanded as he pointed his bowcaster at them.

“The deed is done,” Revan lied with casual ease. “And we found what we were looking for. Now take us back to Chuundar so we can finish our dealings,” he ordered.

The guard glared at them, but obeyed the order and began to lead them back to the village, this time they ran into no trouble. They passed the bodies of the dead Sith still laying where they had been killed. Bastila noted that something had begun to actually eat one of the Sith and had to stop herself from retching and being sick at the fact. Finally they entered the village again and were taken straight to the hut where they found Mission, Canderous and Carth being held. Revan frowned when he noted Zaalbar was missing. 

“Where is Zaalbar?” Bastila asked the question before Revan could do so. 

“Chuundar kept him in his hut while we were locked up here,” Carth answered as he took in the old man who had entered with Bastila and Jaks. “Who’s your friend?” he asked. 

“This is Jolee Bindo, formerly of the Jedi Order and he has agreed to help us,” Revan introduced Jolee who nodded at them in greeting. “He helped us find the Star Map,” he lied. 

“Can we trust him?” Canderous asked as he took in the older man and noted that while he looked old that by no means did it mean he lacked in strength. He had seen Jedi older than this man who had struck down whole units of Mandalorians during the war. 

“I believe so,” Revan responded, understanding the Mandalorian’s caution. “Now when we are brought to the chief’s hut I want you all to be ready for a fight. We’ve taken enough of this slavers orders,” he told them more quietly. 

“About damn time” Canderous said with a smile and a glint in his eyes. 

“Whoa wait a minute here Jaks. Are you suggesting we kill the chief?” Carth asked in shock. “You think the other Wookiees will let us get away with that?” he demanded to know. 

“Actually we are about to take part in a revolution. The supposed ‘madclaw’ we were sent to kill was actually Chuundar and Zaalbar’s father Freyyr and the former chief of the village,” Revan answered with a smile. “We didn’t kill him and are going to help him remove Chuundar and those who follow him,” he stated. 

“You think those Czerka gizaks will just let us do that?” Mission asked with growing excitement at the idea of removing Chuundar from power, not realizing Revan meant to kill him if it came to that. 

“They will have no choice. Once Freyyr reclaims power they may find themselves outnumbered and kicked off the planet,” Revan responded.

“No senseless killings,” Bastila hissed quietly in his ear, feeling very unsure about this whole thing, but knowing there was no way to stop it. The only way would be to warn Chuundar and that wasn’t something she would do. He was a monster who had not only sold out his own people, but also betrayed his own father. 

“Agreed, but we may end up having to help Freyyr force Czerka out of his village,” Revan shot back. 

“From there it becomes an internal affair of the Wookiees, so be ready for a fight,” he warned her to which she reluctantly nodded. “Carth keep Mission close to you. Mission you stay with Carth and work together when the fighting starts,” he ordered to which both nodded although Mission looked slightly annoyed at being singled out. 

Before anything else could be said, the door opened and group of Czerka guards and Wookiees entered pointing their weapons at them. “Chuundar wants to see you before you leave,” one of the guards stated before indicating them to follow.  
6\. Chapter 6  
Revan took a close look at the increased presence of guards when they reentered Chuundar’s hut. Zaalbar stood off the side looking very confused. He growled low in his throat wondering what Chuundar had been telling him. 

“You brought trouble to my world outsider. Chakwell told me of the fight with those called Sith,” Chuundar said in what was supposed to be an intimidating voice. “You have endangered my people, for that you must pay,” he stated. 

“Zaalbar, what has this Hutt spawn been telling you?” Revan inquired, ignoring the threat from Chuundar and focusing on his brother, hoping whatever had been said hadn’t poisoned the Wookiee’s mind against them. He doubted it would go over well with Mission, and not only did he respect the Wookiee, he believed he would be very useful against not only Malak, but anything else they may encounter. 

“Chuundar has said many things, some of it sounds like reason, but I don’t know what to truly think about it,” Zaalbar answered slowly. 

“Don’t listen to the gizak brain Big Z,” Mission shouted, not liking what her friend had said. “Whatever he has said is a big fat lie,” she spat before letting out a yelp as one of the guards pressed his blaster against her back. 

It was all Canderous needed to turn and ram his fist into the guard’s face. He smirked as he heard the satisfying sound of the man’s nose breaking. Before anything else could happen the door to the hut burst open and Freyyr stormed inside. Zaalbar looked shocked to see his father enter as Chuundar had told him he had been killed years ago. 

“Father, what a surprise,” Chuundar growled for once sounding truly angered. “So you failed to complete the task I asked. You betrayed my trust,” he spat as he stood up. 

“Father,” Zaalbar said quietly, quickly realizing that his brother had lied about him being killed, which meant he probably lied about everything else he had told him.

“You left us little choice but to comply with your request, but we made no deal,” Revan replied as he folded his arms across his chest. “Hence once we learned who Freyyr was we decided against killing him. He is the rightful chief of this village and he has not sold out his people to slavers,” he continued. 

“Stand down Chuundar I have returned to reclaim my rightful place as chief,” Freyyr demanded with a roar. “I have Bacca’s blade and I challenge you,” he added. 

Chuundar glared at Freyyr before laughing at his father’s challenge. He was confident in his guards and his Czerka allies. Pulling his sword he jumped at Freyyr who quickly parried the attack, from there chaos erupted as the guards attacked the others. Mission remembered Jak’s order and quickly moved to Carth’s side and began to do her best to protect his flank. Carth pulled his blasters and opened fire as did Canderous who threw Zaalbar’s bowcaster to the Wookiee first. 

The Wookiee caught it with a roar and used it to kill one of the guards as he tried to attack Freyyr from behind. 

Revan, Bastila and Jolee each pulled their lightsabers and waded into the fight. Canderous pulled his own blaster cannon and took cover before unleashing a hail of fire. It felled two of the Czerka guards as they tried to rush him. 

Revan cut down a rather tall Wookiee before he was attacked by a Czerka guard with a vibro blade. It should have been an easy fight, but the guard was clearly skilled with a blade which helped him deflect Revan’s attacks. He was pushed back somewhat before he decided to change tactics. He ducked another swing and then swiped at the man’s knees. The man screamed and fell to the floor as his knees buckled. Revan put him out of his misery with a quick strike to this chest. Bastila’s double bladed lightsaber suddenly came over him and cut down another of Chuundar’s guards, he quickly moved forward as Zaalbar dropped his bowcaster and grabbed a sword and moved to help his father battle Chuundar who seemed to be winning. Bastila winced as a guard almost managed to wound her in the side with his blaster, the only reason it missed was Revan pushing her out of the way. She watched as he turned and flung his lightsaber straight into the man’s chest, it then returned to him as he recalled it through the force. 

Carth ducked as a few more guards entered the hut before unleashing another wave of fire from his blasters. Mission’s and Canderous own blaster fire joined his ,felling four of the new guards while the last three managed to get out of the way. One charged Canderous who dropped his blaster cannon and pulled a long knife from his belt. He grinned savagely as he met the charge and began to exchange blows with the guard. The other two exchanged blaster fire with Mission and Carth, Zaalbar roared in rage as he protected Freyyr from Chuundar’s attack as his father slipped and fell. He pushed his brother backwards as his father regained his footing and moved to help. Chuundar grunted as he tried to hold off two separate attacks. Seeing most of his guards were taken down he began to panic somewhat. Howling as he was caught in the leg by his brother’s blade he used his anger to push back. Jolee spun in a wild arc and cut down two more Wookiee guards. He wondered just what this Chuundar had done to convince them to join him when he was selling out his own people. 

Revan let out a curse as he was struck in the shoulder by a blade from his right, he turned to see another coming right at him and he knew he would not be able to deflect it in time. In a flash of force speed, Bastila was suddenly in front of him deflecting the strike before swinging her blade sideways and cutting both men down. He couldn’t help but chuckle as she saved his life once more. She glanced at him and he noted something in her eyes that pulled at him but it was quickly hidden as she looked away. He heard a roar and turned to see Zaalbar and Freyyr break through Chuundar’s defense and stab him in the chest from both sides. The traitorous Wookiee let out a final roar before he collapsed dead. The three remaining guards hesitated as they saw their leader fall, that was all that was needed for Canderous and Carth to finish them off. 

Revan sat down as he fingered his wound, he was surprised when Bastila quickly moved to his side to clean it out and bandage it. Canderous moved to cover the door and Carth moved to help him. They peeked out of the windows, but noted the rest of the village seemed quiet. Neither veteran liked that, it seemed wrong to them for it to be so quiet when their chief had just been killed. 

“I’m sorry I doubted you my son,” Freyyr’s guilt ridden voice was the first thing to break the silence that had descended. “I should have listened, but I didn’t want to think ill of my first born,” he admitted knowing it was a weak excuse. 

“I understand father,” Zaalbar responded as he looked down at his brother’s corpse. He felt both sorrow and righteousness at finally having ended his brother’s madness, he felt justified and redeemed in the eyes of his people. 

“Your friends are people of their word,” Freyyr observed, moving on to less emotional and hurtful topics. “They didn’t have to help me. They could have just killed me, but they listened and agreed to aide me,” he told him. 

“They are good people father and I owe a life debt to this one,” Zaalbar replied, indicating Revan who just nodded at them. “He saved me once already, now he has not only saved my father, but my village,” he added. 

“And we are willing to help you reclaim your village fully from the slavers of the Czerka corporation,” Revan said as he stood back up as Bastila finished bandaging his wounded shoulder. “If it is one thing I think we can all agree on, it is a hatred of slavers,” he stated. 

“And what do you ask of us in return?” Freyyr inquired as he considered the request and his son’s friends in turn. 

“Nothing,” Revan answered much to the surprise of Bastila and Canderous. “I don’t ask for anything, once your village is free you may continue the fight to remove Czerka on your own,” he continued. 

“Then why offer to help us?” Freyyr asked not as trusting of outsiders as he used to be, but more willing to trust these as his son had vouched for them.

“I hate slavers in all forms and you are my friend’s father, it is the right thing to do. Not only to help Zaalbar, but to help bring balance back to your planet,” Revan answered knowing he was throwing Bastila off guard, which worked to his advantage in gaining her trust.

“Very well we accept,” Freyyr agreed before leaving the hut and yelling something in his native language. 

The others watched as the entire village soon appeared before the newly returned chief, whatever he was saying seemed to be rallying them into a frenzy. Zaalbar moved to his father’s side and roared something. The Wookiees began to grab weapons where ever they could. Bastila watched, feeling like she should be stopping this, but Revan’s words as well as what she had seen Chuundar and his Czerka allies do made her hesitant to step in. This fight was going to happen no matter what she tried, she knew that and in one sense she could understand the urge to reclaim their planet. She asked herself how she would feel if her planet was subjugated, then the memory of being in the hands of the Black Vulkars came back to her and she felt a spike of anger surge through her. 

The roaring cries of a host of Wookiees broke through her thoughts and she turned to watch the host turn and head out of the village towards the Czerka base near the landing pad. She felt Revan’s hand on her lower back and she looked up to catch his concerned look, unsure what to say or do she instead followed the others as they followed the Wookiees. Revan watched her go and smiled inwardly while blocking any of his feelings travel ling down the bond, whether she knew it or not she was slowly beginning to follow him. All he needed was to keep going slowly and without knowing it she would become his ally, maybe if he was lucky much more than that. 

+TR+

(Dantoonie, Jedi Academy)

Master Vandar shivered as he felt a vision of complete darkness overcome him, yet as he adjusted to the darkness he saw a white blinding light of in the distance and getting stronger. After a few minutes the vision ended with the light eclipsing his entire vision, opening his eyes and blinking wildly he wondered just what the vision meant. Did it mean the Sith were going to win the war? Or was it pointing at a brief darkness eclipsing the galaxy only for the Jedi to return and defeat them? Whatever it meant, he felt a great change was on the horizon and he had no idea if the Jedi would survive as they were. Had they made a mistake somewhere in this war, maybe something related to Bastila and her allies mission or was it their choice about Revan? Too many questions he thought, letting out a sigh the small Jedi Master closed his eyes and wondered what to do about this latest vision. 

+TR+

(Outer Rim)

Meetra Surik gritted her teeth as she struggled up the rocky outcrop she had been climbing to reach what she hoped would be a decent base camp. Being exiled in her mind wasn’t a fun experience. Worse was being cut off from the force thanks to what happened over Malachor V, the battle may have won the Republic the war against the Mandalorians, but the cost she had paid had been high. 

And she had not been the only one to pay a price; Revan had paid the price in the blood of his friends and allies. So many had followed him out of loyalty and she knew each death had hit him hard, war had changed them all and not one of them had come through the war as they had been before it. Finally reaching the outcrop she dropped her pack and looked out over the silent mountainside. It was peaceful here, but she missed the more boisterous noise of the core systems. More and more she felt the urge to return home, she’d almost believe it was the force trying to tell her this, but she knew that was impossible. 

Looking up into the sky she decided maybe it was time to head home, the Jedi had no right to exile her permanently. She was no threat to them, not anymore. She wanted to find Revan and see how he and the others fared, and she wanted to see her other friends beside Revan as she was tired of the silence. ‘Frack it, time to head home and damn the Jedi if they don’t like it,’ she said silently to herself as she turned and began to make camp.  
7\. Chapter 7  
(Kashyyk)

Revan cut down the Czerka guards at the gate that led into the Czerka compound, neither had the chance to reach for their weapons. His senses quickly warned him of an incoming attack, glancing up he saw the two autocannons that guarded the gate come online and begin to lock onto him. Using the force he sped towards the left one while Jolee and Bastila went for the right one. He used his lightsaber to cut right the autocannon’s ammo storage magazine and watched the cannon blow up in a plume of smoke. Beside him Jolee and Bastila destroyed the barrel and the ammo stack causing the same affect, this left the way to the Czerka compound open. Freyyr growled loudly and as one the host of Wookiees surged forward. Revan and his crew quickly followed into a halo of blaster fire and screaming. 

The Czerka guards managed to try and form a battle line, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer mass of Wookiees. They no longer feared the advanced weapons of the corporation now that they had a chief who inspired them to fight along with new allies to aide them. Revan headed straight for the landing pad, he knew some of the Czerka officers would try and escape and he intended to ensure that didn’t happen. He found Juhani fighting a rather large Twi’lek in Czerka armor and he quickly moved to help, he also noted T3 on the ramp firing his own internal blasters at another guard.

“They want our ship,” Juhani shouted as she sensed his approach. 

“Over our dead bodies,” Revan vowed and his cut the Twi’lek in half with a viscous swipe of his lightsaber, before spinning sideways and taking the head off the guard T3 was fighting. He ignored the head as it bounded over the landing pad and into the deep jungle. T3 beeped a thank you as it moved closer to him. 

“By the force what is happening?” Juhani inquired clearly angry. “One minute I’m checking the port thrusters and the next we are under attack,” she told him. 

“Revolution,” Revan answered simply. “We are helping the Wookiees take back their village, from there they will take back their planet,” he explained at her look indicating she wanted a better explanation. 

Juhani stared at him for a few seconds as the memories of her past came forward, her time on Taris where she had been captured and enslaved by Xor the slave master of Taris’s under city. She felt the familiar anger and instead of fighting it like the Jedi had taught her, she embraced it and ran into the fight wanting to help the Wookiees gain their freedom as Revan had once freed her so long ago. She cut down a guard as he attempted to stab Bastila who was busy fighting the guard who had insulted Zaalbar and got into Revan’s face when he retaliated. She ducked the wild swings from the guard who she could see was in a panic about the sudden attack. She forced any Jedi teachings about peace and respect for life from her mind, she focused solely on surviving. Finally she found a flaw in his defense and cut him down with a swipe to his side, then followed it up with a slash across his throat. This was a battle and she intended to survive past it, she had a mission to complete and while she would regret the loss of life she knew it was necessary.

Zaalbar cut down the Czerka manager as he tried to flee with a chest he assumed to be filled with credits, credits from the sale of his people. 

Mission cried out in pain as she was pushed out of the way by Canderous, she was about to lash out at him when she saw him take a blade to his back although his armor prevented any real damage. She grabbed her fallen blaster, twisted back and shot the guard as he tried to bring his weapon back around to finish Canderous who was trying to bring his cannon to bear. He nodded in thanks before wading back into the fight. Carth unleashed a hail of fire as he brought down another guard. He then paused as he realized the rest of the guards were been hacked down by the host of Wookiees, blood oozed all over the landing pad as did their bodies. He watched as one rather angry Wookiee picked up one of the remaining guards and then broke his back. The guard yelled out in agony before his neck was broken. He turned away sickened by the sight, it reminded him of the war and what the Mandalorians were capable of. Revan trust his lightsaber into the last guard as he tried to rush him. He smirked as he watched the body fall knowing there was now a few less slavers in the galaxy. 

“FREEDOM,” Zaalbar shouted as he raised his bowcaster in celebration. As one the other Wookiees did the same. Bastila quickly moved to Revan’s side, doing her best to ignore the dead bodies, especially those she had helped to kill. 

She knew if the council learned of what had happened here she would be in deep trouble, yet she couldn’t find it in herself to feel really guilty. These men had been slavers. They were as evil as Revan had said. That they had found a willing accomplice in Chuundar just made it easier for them to work, all they cared for was greed. She felt the satisfaction Revan felt as he surveyed the dead, in his mind the less slavers the better the galaxy would be. She shook her head, wondering if Revan was affecting her thinking through the bond, there was no way she would have thought such things before she had forged it. She began to worry just what she would become if the bond got stronger. She missed the look Revan shot her as he sensed her troubled thoughts. The more she questioned herself the more confused she would get he knew, but in the end the fact she had took part in the fight showed she was beginning to forget the Jedi’s rules and teachings. The roar of a ship made them all look up, Revan frowned as he sensed a force sensitive being in the ship, and he shouted at the others not to open fire and just waited as the ship came in for landing. 

“A Jedi?” Bastila inquired having sensed the same thing as Revan had. She also noted Jolee and Juhani had moved forward so they must have sensed it as well. 

“Possibly, it is no Sith that’s for sure,” Revan answered as the ship landing beside the Ebon Hawk. “Just keep yourself armed just in case,” he warned them. 

Finally the docking ramp of the unknown ship opened and out came a young man in a red and black jumpsuit; it was the lightsaber hanging from his belt that captured their attention. They missed the smile that suddenly graced Carth’s features, for once it was clear of any of the usual falseness that clouded his smile. 

“Zayne,” Carth shouted as he rushed forward putting his blasters away as he did so. “What in the force are you doing here?” he demanded as he pulled the younger man into a hug which was eagerly returned. 

“Carth… I cannot believe it is you,” Zayne responded as the Arkanian offshoot stepped out of the ship. Revan’s eyebrow rose in surprise as he suddenly realized who had arrived, he remembered Alek’s tales of meeting both these individuals at the beginning of their attempts to convince the council to go to war. “Thought you were out with the fleet last I heard,” he added. 

“Ran into some serious trouble and my ship was destroyed over Taris,” Carth answered with a sigh. “Hey Jarael,” he greeted as the woman reached Zayne’s side who nodded back. “We barely made it off in time before Malak bombed it into ruin,” he muttered. 

“We heard,” Jarael said with a bitter and horrified look in her eyes. “It is still hard to believe Alek could do such a thing,” she added. “Why did he become such a monster?” she asked. “Taris used to be my home. It was Zayne’s home and a half a dozen others that Alek knew and he destroyed it,” she spat in anger while Zayne looked away in sorrow. 

“You’d have to ask Revan that question and he’s dead,” Carth finally answered not knowing what else to say. He missed the looked Zayne got on his face as he looked at Carth’s companions and settled on Revan. 

Revan knew who Zayne was, but he was certain Zayne didn’t know who he was. They had never met during Zayne’s time as a fugitive. And hopefully the force would not give him away. He knew Bastila wouldn’t say anything as she had promised to keep his identity a secret. 

“Who said it was Revan’s fault what Malak became?” Revan couldn’t help but ask, not liking that he was being blamed for what his friend had become. He may have started him on the path, but Malak had chosen to continue down it until he became a tyrant and a monster willing to wipe out millions if only to kill one person. “You have no idea what happened to them out there Carth, Malak could have been the one to find what corrupted them,” he pointed out, ignoring the look Bastila covertly sent him.   
0  
“Revan was in charge of the fleet Jaks,” Carth shot back. “He led them into the darkness of the outer rim in pursuit of the Mandalorians,” he argued. 

“We didn’t come to get into an argument about Malak and what he became,” Zayne interrupted the conversation before the argument could get worse. He knew the subject of Alek was still a sensitive one to those who had known him before his fall to the dark side. “We came to find Bastila Shan, we were told she was on Kashyyk,” he told them.

“I’m surprised the council would reveal our location to anyone,” Bastila said in surprise. Shocked she was the reason they had come to this planet. 

“They owe us,” Zayne responded with a laugh while Jarael giggled as she recalled the slight argument Zayne had with Master Vandar about this very thing. Thankfully the small Jedi Master had seen sense, it was good to know some of the Jedi still remembered what they have gone through to bring the truth to life and expose the covenant. 

“Why are you looking for me?” Bastila finally inquired having shaken herself out of her surprise. 

“We were on Tatooine when we ran into a woman in the local bar, she was showing a picture to everyone who would pay attention to her,” Zayne answered. “We stopped and listened, I recognized your photo from the local news casts and I asked why she was looking for you,” he continued exchanging a quick look with Jarael. “Bastila it was your mother, she wishes to see you urgently,” he told her as easily as he could. 

Bastila felt her emotional control snap the instant she heard it was her mother who wanted to see her. It evoked memories of her past she had believed put behind her. She noted Revan stagger somewhat from the emotional overload she was sending through the bond, she tried desperately to regain control and stop the flood of emotions and memories, but found it a struggle. The others watched as the two of them collapsed to the floor. Revan growled low in this throat as he tried to block out what he was feeling and seeing from Bastila. Never had he known such a powerful reaction to such a simple word, granted he had never shared a force bond with anyone before either. 

“You alright kid?” Jolee asked as he moved to his side and tried to check him out.

“It’s not me, it’s her,” Revan growled in response and pointing at Bastila. “Get a grip Bastila please, I can’t take much more of this,” he shouted at her making her wince. 

Bastila closed her eyes and struggled to regain her control, slowly bit by bit she began to calm down. She pushed her memories of her family back in the deepest recesses of her mind where they belonged. Finally the flood of emotions and memories over the bond stopped and she heard Revan give a sigh of relief. ‘I’m sorry Revan,’ she managed to whisper to him. 

“You okay Bastila?” Mission asked, unsure what just had happened. She knelt down next to her and tried to help her up, but Bastila for now chose to stay on the floor. 

“I’m fine I just had not expected that answer. It stirred up long buried feelings where my mother is concerned,” Bastila told her and the others. “Sadly Jaks felt the full brunt of it due to the force bond we share,” she added as she rubbed her forehead. “I apologize for my weakness in my emotional control,” she offered as she finally stood back up aware they had a large crowd which included the Wookiees.

Revan was at least thankful she had managed to remember to refer to him by his false identity, getting back up he felt her regain control of herself much to his relief. Feeling so many wild emotions at once had been disturbing to say the least, the memories even more so, especially as they were not his. Now he saw the negative side effects of the bond they shared, this might prove more trouble than he had first realized still it was the best way he had to gain Bastila’s trust.

“I guess even Jedi can have bad pasts,” Carth muttered quietly to himself. 

“D…Did my mother say why she wants to see me?” Bastila finally inquired as she looked between Zayne and Jarael.

“No, just that it was very important and that she didn’t have much time left to look for you, although I’m not sure what she meant by that,” Zayne answered, hoping it didn’t mean anything bad. 

Bastila closed her eyes and tried to think of what it was her mother wanted objectively, sadly her mind refused to cooperate and found the worst things she could think of in this regard. ‘We will go to see her, if you don’t it could cost you later on,’ Revan’s calm and rather soft tone cut her thoughts off. ‘Worse it is possible Malak might find her, and what he would do to her is beyond what you would wish for most of your enemies,’ he advised.

‘I don’t want to agree with you Revan, but I can’t fault your words,’ Bastila said with an internal sigh as they conversed over the bond. It was turning out to be a handy thing in keeping Revan’s true identity a secret as she had promised, and it was also helpful to have conversations they didn’t want the others to hear. “We have to go to Tatooine anyway, I guess seeing her couldn’t hurt,” she finally said aloud although only Revan could tell she didn’t meant that. 

“The sooner we leave the better, the more time we waste here the more chances Malak will have to find us,” Carth said stepping forward. 

“He already has,” Revan stated, gaining their full attention. “Calo Nord somehow survived Taris and begged Malak for a chance at revenge. He tried to kill me and Jolee and capture Bastila, but we killed him and his hired thugs,” he reported. 

“Good riddance to bad garbage,” Canderous snarled angered he had not been there to see Nord’s death, or more to the point angered he had not been the one to finish Nord and rid him of his life. 

“So Malak knows we survived now?” Carth inquired in concern. Now that the Dark Lord knew they lived, it would make their mission all the harder to complete. 

“Yes he knows,” Bastila agreed with a nod of her head. ‘Worse he knows Revan lives,’ she thought bitterly. The Council should be made aware of this news she thought, before the idea died as her eyes met those of Revan. Telling them this news may make the Council do something even worse than trying to wipe Revan’s mind. Deciding against contacting them she headed for the Ebon Hawk. 

Revan let out a short breath of relief as Bastila made her choice, he would have had to convince her otherwise and he knew had he been forced to do so it may have become a heated argument. That wasn’t something that would help build her trust in him.  
8\. Chapter 8  
Chapter 8

Revan turned to find Zaalbar talking to his father as the other Wookiees looked on. Noting Zayne and Jarael of to the side, he made a snap decision and walked over to them. 

“Considering your talents I would ask that you join us in our mission,” Revan stated, gaining both of their attentions. “Considering your history, I think your aid would be of great benefit to us,” he added. “Knowing Malak he would not have forgotten either of you, or the slight you gave him when you turned him down twice to stay with Zayne,” he continued only to realize he had again slipped up by revealing he knew things he should not know. He could already see Jarael looking at him in confusion, a hint of anger in her eyes also. Zayne was looking at him closely, clearly wondering how he knew such a personal detail, not something mention in the official history of their journey. 

“How do you know that?” Jarael demanded, she didn’t like to remember those times not now that Malak had become such a monster. 

“It’s a long story, one I will have to tell eventually, but for now I can’t say anything,” Revan quickly responded. “I’m sorry if it upsets you to remember Alek as he was. He has to be stopped and quickly before he burns anymore planets to the ground,” he told them hoping to play to their horror of the things Malak had done. “Bastila has to be protected while we accomplish our mission, the more help we have the better off she will be and our mission will succeed” he added. 

“Do you really think Malak would come after us?” Jarael asked in fear.

Revan snorted in annoyance at the question even though he tried not to. “Yes he would, you didn’t see what your refusals did to him or the jealously that erupted from your union with Zayne,” he told them, again confusing them with knowledge he shouldn’t have. 

Zayne didn’t like what he was hearing. Alek had been a friend and an ally during his time as a fugitive. He had helped them multiple times, the only times he had not been keen on Alec was when he tried to convince Jarael to leave with him. Hearing about the things he had done since becoming a Sith had sickened them both, what this Jedi said was true he had to be stopped. But they didn’t come here to join up on another crazy quest. They had come to deliver a message and they had done so. That should be it end of story, but he could already feel the fear of what Malak would do if he captured them. He had his followers on a hundred worlds, finding them would be child’s play. Letting out a frustrated sigh he glanced at Jarael to find her already giving him a questioning look, he saw the fear he felt himself reflected in her eyes. 

“We’ll join you,” Zayne finally said after searching for an answer while getting lost in Jarael’s eyes. “We won’t be safe until Malak is stopped,” he agreed with a sigh as his hand strayed to his lightsaber. 

The only thing he kept from his time as a Padawan, he had used it in the war when he had been conscripted into the army against the Mandalorians. He had hoped not to be drawn into another war, but it seemed the Force had other ideas. 

“I better tell Gryph. He won’t be happy, but he will understand and he can take the ship back to base if we are to use your ship,” Jarael said, knowing she wouldn’t let Zayne go into danger alone, especially not against Malak. 

It had been bad enough when he was conscripted into the war, she’d had to stay behind and wait for news. Those long months of waiting had been the hardest time of her life, but Zayne had come back to her alive, but troubled from what he had seen during his service in the army. When he had come back the first thing he had done is purpose to her, she had accepted. They had plans to marry in the new year, now those plans seemed uncertain as the Sith closed in on the Republic. If they wanted a future free of such evil, they had to help stop Malak once and for all. They both headed back to their ship to talk to Gryph who had decided to stay inside, he’d said this was a fool’s errand due to them not getting paid for it which was what they would expect from him. 

Revan smiled glad he had gotten their agreement to help. Zayne’s unique ability with the Force may come in handy fully trained as a Jedi or not. He had learned from Malak’s tales of him that Zayne seemed to accomplish things he had no right doing, clearly the Force was with him. Turning he noted the others getting the Ebon Hawk prepped for flight. Only Zaalbar remained with the other Wookiees, he walked over to see what he would do.

“Your village is yours once more as I promised, from here we leave you as we have an important mission to complete,” Revan said to Freyyr. “Your son has already aided us in this mission, you should be proud of him,” he added knowing Bastila was listening in from where she stood near one of the weapon points on the wing. He knew the value of loyalty and this would help gain loyalty from both Zaalbar and more importantly Bastila. How to gain loyalty was something he had learned during the war. 

“I thank you outsider for your aid and for helping my son escape what would have been certain death on Taris,” Freyyr responded. “You will always be welcome back here, my son has chosen to go with you to honor his life debt,” he added. I ask that you ensure he returns to me once your mission is complete,” he requested. 

“I will do my best Freyyr, but as I’m sure you know in war anything can happen,” Revan replied. “I wish you well in reclaiming your world, if you need any help then call and we will return and help as best as we can,” he promised before he turned and headed for the ship while taking in Bastila’s shocked look at the conversation she had overheard. 

Bastila watched him board the ship before trying to understand why Revan was acting completely different than what she expected of him. ‘Was it an act to make himself seem more human and less of the monster the Jedi had taught her to think of him as?’ she wondered. ‘Or was it possible Revan really did respect and like their companions?’ she mused inwardly. Either way she noted how Zaalbar and Freyyr reacted to his words, he had won them over even if they didn’t know who he really was. She heard the engines of the second ship power up, turning she watched Zayne and Jarael walk over to her as their ship blasted of the pad and vanished in a matter of seconds. 

“Well Gryph took that as well as I thought he would, but as always he turned it to his advantage and basically said he would use our time away to earn some honest credits,” Zayne said with a smile and shake of his head in amusement at his friend’s view of things.

“You are coming with us?” Bastila inquired with surprise.

“Your Jedi friend asked us too, he raised some good points as to why we should join you,” Jarael added, even as she tried to forget what may happen should Malak capture either of them. 

“His name is Jaks,” Mission said as she walked pass them with Zaalbar finally making it back after saying goodbye to his father. “Great guy,” she added as she followed her friend inside the ship. 

“Does everything check out Bastila?” Carth shouted from the top of the ramp.

“Yes the ship is in good shape, no damage from the fighting or the attack we suffered on the way here,” Bastila called back as she moved to enter the ship with Zayne and Jarael following. “We can leave when you are ready,” she added as they boarded and closed the ramp. 

Freyyr stood and watched as the ship his son was on lifted off and hovered over the landing pad for a few seconds, everything had chanced within so short a time he still felt it could only be a dream. But as he watched the Ebon Hawk shoot into space he knew it was no dream, he was once more chief of his village and a leader in the war to liberate their world from the slavers of Czerka. His youngest son had returned a warrior, and had proven himself loyal to his people and removed any doubt on his past actions. He had acted in the best interests of the tribe, but he had been stupid and stubborn. He had refused to listen to Zaalbar and in so doing nearly helped destroy his village and his people. 

Chuundar had been evil and when he had betrayed him he had proven Zaalbar had been telling the truth. Now Chuundar was dead, executed during the challenge. He felt sorrow for having to kill his own eldest son, but in the end it had to be done if his people were to be free. Listening to the cries of triumph around him as his people embraced their newly won freedom he knew this was only the beginning. From there they would liberate other villages close by, and from there they would retake their world in time. Raising his hands in victory, he turned and headed back to the village. There was much to do, including burying his son and burning the bodies of the Czerka guards. 

+TR+

(Leviathan)

Darth Malak sat in his private chambers trying to feel the flow of the Force, but for some reason the answers refused to come to him. He saw no images of the future and the usual pulse of the dark side failed to manifest when he meditated. He frowned in annoyance before he finally gave up and exited his chambers. He had been informed by Karath that his infiltration team had returned with the information he sought concerning Revan. Entering the bridge he found the full team waiting for him. 

Karath stood of to the side going over the latest reports on the resupply they were undergoing. 

“Master, we have the information you require including all we could find on the defenses Dantoonie and the Jedi Enclave has,” the team leader, one of the two Sith warriors in the team, stated as they all bowed before him. 

“Excellent,” Malak responded as he took the pad he was offered. He liked it when his people showed some actual initiative and independent thought when it was needed as long as they didn’t allow that independent thought to sway them to turn on him. The information on the Enclave and Dantoonie’s defenses wasn’t what he had asked for, but it would prove useful in time. “You have done well- I assume none of the foolish Jedi suspected any of you during your mission?” he inquired dangerously. His very tone made his words seem like the threat it was meant to be.

“No master, at no time were we suspected of being anything but loyal Republic soldiers and Jedi,” the other Sith responded. “They were easily fooled,” he added to which the others nodded in agreement.

“Good, you have pleased me,” Malak responded as he looked at the information on Revan. “You will have the week to relax before your next assignment,” he stated before indicating they could leave. 

“Thank you Master, you are most generous” the team leader said with a quick bow before leaving. 

“Yes I’m,” Malak muttered in response, knowing full well that had they failed him they would all be dead and they knew that. 

So the Jedi captured Revan during the ambush, it seemed his sneak attack would have succeeded in killing his former friend had it not been for the actions of Bastila Shan. He cursed her and vowed once she was captured that she would suffer even greater than he had planned before he broke her, that girl had ruined his chances of being rid of Revan permanently. But his anger cooled as he read about what the Jedi had done to him. They had wiped his mind, effectively killing him anyway. On one side he was pleased by this news as it meant Revan wasn’t helping the Jedi find the Star Forge, although clearly they had learned of its existence somehow. On the other side he was furious that they had done it, for all the hatred he now had against Revan he had once been his best friend who he had followed into war and darkness. To now know he was little more than a puppet angered him greatly, it made his own time as Revan’s apprentice seem a joke if such a man as the one he followed could be brought so low. 

“Admiral Karath, I want you and the other admirals and generals to plan an assault on Dantoonie and the Jedi Enclave to take place in a month’s time,” Malak ordered as he handed the pad over to the man.

“At once sir,” Karath responded with a bow, knowing from the look on his Master’s face not to question his order at all. He quickly left the bridge to call a meeting of the senior admirals and generals. 

Malak watched him go with a glare at his back. Karath was an able Admiral, but he was only loyal out of fear. Not that he minded that, but sometimes he got the feeling Karath would have preferred that Revan stayed in control of the empire. In time he may have to get rid of him, for now he still had his uses. Turning he gazed out into the dark galaxy and wondered if Revan was truly gone. ‘Could someone as powerful as Revan have fallen prey to the Jedi’s mind tricks?’ he asked himself. He had no answer to that question, either way Revan or whoever the Jedi had programmed him to be would die. 

+TR+

(Outer Rim)

Meetra Surik sensed the attack even before it came, even without her connection to the Force her battle senses honed during the Mandalorian war were intact. She rolled out of her bed and grabbed her nearby sword. She wished she still had her lightsaber, but that witch Atris had it the last time she had seen it. She found herself facing two lightsaber wielding enemies. Strangely she found she recognized one of them. The female Twi’lek brought memories from the wars forward, before she could say anything they attacked. She blocked each of their blows before dropping to her knees and sweeping the males legs out from under him. Before he could recover she rolled forward and slammed her fist into his face, this had the side effect of not only knocking him out but breaking his nose. Rolling again she just avoided the female’s swipe at her head, coming back to her feet she faced her attacker head on. But again the face of the Twi’lek brought memories forward, she knew this woman.   
“Wait,” she ordered. “I know you,” she told her. 

The Twi’lek frowned as if in thought before lunging forward and trying to impale her with her lightsaber, Meetra jumped out of the way just in time. Had she still her force connection it wouldn’t have been so close she thought angrily. Again the Twi’lek came at her, but this time Meetra met the trust and tried to use her power advantage to knock the weapon out of her attackers hand. The Twi’lek struggled against the move, so Meetra decided on a move Revan had taught her during the first month of their campaign against the Mandalorians. Quickly unlocking their weapons she parried left, the Twi’lek moved to counter only for Meetra to suddenly spin right and aim right for her attackers legs. Somehow the Twi’lek jumped out of the way. She had known the move was coming as soon as she moved right. That more than anything confirmed in Meetra’s mind she knew this woman, she had to have served with Revan to have known about that move as it was one of his personal moves. Finally the memory came to her of Revan’s aide, a young Twi’lek who while not a Jedi had been gifted a lightsaber of her own by Revan for her acts of bravery, especially when she had saved his life and took a blaster hit to her side meant for him. 

“Rikka,” Meetra shouted just as the Twi’lek came back at her, this caused her attacker to pause and frown in confusion. “Your name is Rikka, you were General Revan’s aide during the war,” she pressed, lowering her sword a little but ready to bring it back up if she attacked again. “You earned that lightsaber even though you are not a Jedi for saving Revan’s life,” she continued. 

Finally the Twi’lek lowered her own weapon as stared at Meetra trying to recognize her face. “How do you know that?” Rikka demanded as she shut her lightsaber off and moved to check on her companion. “Only those close to Revan knew about my role as his aide,” she stated. 

“You don’t recognize me?” Meetra inquired, knowing in the year or two since the war she had changed, her hair was longer than it had once been and she had dyed it from her normal black to red. Her eyes were probably less innocent than they had been. The Mass Shadow Generator and Malachor V had ripped that away.

“You seem familiar, but I don’t know you,” Rikka answered as her cohort began to come back to his senses, moaning as he reached up to touch his broken nose which was bleeding heavily. 

“I’m General Meetra Surik,” Meetra reintroduced herself, feeling a little bit let down at not being recognized. She had been Revan’s closest friend and ally after Malak, their friendship had even gone beyond friendship for a short time which all came to an end when Malachor V happened. The pain of that moment would live inside her forever. The loss of her connection to the force made it all the more painful.

Rikka’s eyes widened as she heard the name. She knew it well as it belonged to Revan’s closest ally now that she could discount the traitor Malak. She got up and moved to stare at the woman she had attacked. It was the eyes she recognized first. Stepping back she took note of the longer hair and new color, but in the end she now knew it was Meetra Surik in front of her. Revan would have her head if she accidentally killed her. She knew the two of them had been very close during the war. Rikka had done her best to hold together the part of the fleet that had broken away from the empire, once Malak had betrayed Revan. They had fled to the prearranged sector of space Revan had planned for in the event he was betrayed. Only those who they knew were loyal to the same cause he still fought for were told. Only those who had not become infected by the dark side as Malak and his followers had been warned of the rendezvous. They no longer had to pretend to be Sith and they no longer had any loyalty to the empire. They had once again taken on the name they had been known by during the Mandalorian War, they were the Revanchists. But she needed someone who could hold the fleet together until Revan found them or they found him, she knew some of them were losing hope that Revan still lived. 

“It is you General, my apologies,” Rikka said with a short bow as her ally climbed to his feet painfully and did the same. “I didn’t recognize you with the new hair color,” she added. 

“Rikka, what are you doing out here?” Meetra asked as she put her own weapon away now that the threat of bloodshed was gone. “Is Revan here?” she demanded to know as it suddenly occurred to her that the last time she had seen Rikka she had been standing behind Revan as they said goodbyes after Malachor V. 

“I’m afraid Revan is missing in action due to Malak betraying him,” Rikka reported and Meetra could hear the anger and fury the Twi’lek now held for Malak. 

“HE DID WHAT?” Meetra demanded as her own anger spiked at this revelation as she stepped closer to Rikka and her friend. 

“It is a long story General, much has changed since you left us,” Rikka responded slowly unsure how to tell Meetra of the plan Revan had devised to save the Republic once and for all. “Please come with us to our fleet, we will explain it to you, I promise,” she stated to which Meetra nodded in agreement as she moved to pack her stuff. “Our finding you here is almost coincidental, Revan would call it the will of the force,” she mused as she went to help. 

“Yes he would,” Meetra agreed with a nod of her head. “Just answer me one thing Rikka,” to which the Twi’lek nodded. “Is he alive?” she asked.

“I believe so, we failed to find his body before we were forced to abandon the Revenge,” Rikka answered. “We know an escape pod was jettisoned and that there was a survivor from the Jedi strike team that attacked us just before Malak betrayed Revan,” she continued. “It is possible the Jedi have him, if they do he is in great danger,” she suggested and noted the confusion her answer caused Meetra. “As I said General, it is a long story,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. 

Meetra shook her head wondering just what in the force had Revan and the others done after she left the fleet. ‘What kind of insanity had they gotten themselves into? And why had Malak betrayed Revan?’ she wondered. They had been best friends even before the war, although now that she thought about it she recalled their friendship had become troubled during the war. She would get the answers out of Rikka, inside however a white hot anger burned within her and she vowed if Revan was dead Malak would pay. And even if Revan survived then Malak would still pay, she followed Rikka and her still injured friend to their shuttle, glad she didn’t have to use the small shuttle she had been using herself as it was close to giving out on her. 

+TR+

(Ebon Hawk)

Revan rubbed his eyes as he considered what to do after visiting Tatoonie and letting Bastila see her mother. ‘Was there any point of going to Manaan or risking the danger of going to Korriban?’ he asked himself. They didn’t need the star maps, but this team that had sprung up around him needed more trust between the various members. They needed to harness their skills to make them more effective during combat, they also needed more time to work together and learn each other’s moves and learn to play of those moves. Going to Manaan might be worth it, but to go to Korriban was asking for disaster to happen. Korriban was home to the ancient Sith spirits that infested the tombs in the valley of the Sith Lords, it also housed the Sith academy he and Malak had built to train new recruits. Taking Bastila there was paramount to basically handing her to Malak, yet it would be a test of her abilities to adapt and survive. 

He could divert the ship and see if any of his loyal followers had managed to escape the empire once Malak betrayed him. If they were waiting where they had planned for them to go should Malak betray him then it would be a great help in planning his revenge. That depended on how many had escaped and if they had enough ships as well. Malak had the Star Forge which could create five ships every week at the same time. It was a huge tactical advantage. To regain it he would need a large fleet and a large army to storm it. The Revanchists, if any had survived, would make up the core of his new army. They would bring the experience and expertise they had developed during the war with the Mandalorians. Still even they would not be enough to destroy Malak and his empire and regain the Star Forge. ‘He would need allies but where was he to get them?’ he wondered.  
9\. Chapter 9  
(Ebon Hawk)

Bastila sat in the cockpit beside Carth as they headed for Tatoonie, she felt nervous over having to face her mother once more, she had very few good memories of her mother and even then they were tainted by the rest of her memory of the woman who had given birth to her. The Jedi taught you to put your past behind you, to remove or suppress the emotions one felt, but she had never been able to do that. Her emotions had always been close to the surface. Thankfully she had been able to maintain a look of tranquility to her fellow Jedi so they would not see the truth. She had wanted to be a Jedi so much, that the fact she was in truth breaking one of their highest laws troubled her little. Since joining with Revan she had noted her emotions were even harder to control than ever before, and now with the prospect of coming face to face with her mother well it made it almost impossible to control them. 

“You okay, Bastila?” Carth’s concerned voice broke through her troubled thoughts and made her glance over at the Republic pilot. 

“I’m fine,” Bastila lied and she shivered at how easy it was for her to do so. Clearly being joined to Revan was having an effect on her, but she wasn’t going to admit the truth to the man next to her. “Just thinking about how simpler things were before everything went to hell,” she told him. 

“Isn’t that the truth,” Carth said with a bitter chuckle. “I thought once the Mandalorian war was over I would return home and settle down with my wife and son,” he told her and she could hear the bitterness in his tone as he spoke. “Then Revan and Malak, two men I had followed and trusted returned with their fleet and began the nightmare all over again,” he continued as he stared out the cockpit window, his eyes were dead as he spoke. “I was called back to the fleet, and I went thinking it would be just like before, but I was dead wrong,” he all but growled that last word. “Malak destroyed Telos and my wife and son with it, that traitorous scum Saul Karath turned on us and gave them the codes to the planetary defense screen and the defense lasers, making it an easy victory,” he spat.

Bastila shivered as she heard the raw hatred in the man’s tone, she recalled what Revan had said about Telos. How it was his first act of rebellion and should have been a wake-up call that his friend had fallen, but he had ignored it, it sounded as if the plan was for Telos to be captured intact, but Malak had ignored that order. But what was the truth? Did Malak truly lay waste to Telos on his own merit or was he simply following Revan’s orders? She no longer knew what to think, but for some reason she couldn’t see Revan ordering an entire planet raised to the ground.

“Revan may be dead, but his legacy remains intact as long as Malak is alive,” Carth’s bitter voice made her blink and look back at the pilot.

Bastila wondered what Carth would think if he knew Revan was alive and on this ship, somehow she didn’t think it would be a good thing for him to find out. Since meeting Carth when she first took control of the Endar Spire she would never have guessed such bitterness and hatred existed within him, it made her wary of the man she had trusted. Silence fell between them as they both got lost in their thoughts, but now and again Bastila would wonder at what was the truth behind the destruction of Telos and she vowed to get the story out of Revan once they reached Tatoonie. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class battleship Revenge)

Meetra just stared at the video file playing on the large screen in the heart of the battleship she found herself on. It was unlike most of the ships she had seen on her way up from the planet from the view port. It seemed the fleet only had several of this class made from something called the Star Forge Rikka had mentioned before, the rest were a collection of other classes and former Republic ships from the same fleet that Revan had led through the war. The fact the command ship was once more called the Revenge was no surprise, it had become Revan’s personal motto after all. Now all her focus was on what she was learning from the video, what Revan, Malak and the others had found when they had followed the fleeing Mandalorians pass the Outer Rim. 

She felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw the evidence that proved the ancient Sith still lived, the Jedi and Republic had believed the red skinned Sith were wiped out during the purge at the end of the great Hyper Space War. Clearly that was a mistake that could cost the Republic and Jedi greatly, and may already have if what she was being told by Rikka was true. According to Rikka just before Mandalore’s death at the hands of Revan, he had admitted that it was at the Sith Empire’s dark Emperor’s behest that he had led his people in the invasion of the Republic. ‘A first probing attack of the Republic and Jedi’s strength or an attempt to weaken their old enemy without wasting their own resources and strength?’ she wondered. 

“How big was this empire, Rikka?” Meetra finally asked once the video stopped playing. 

“Huge, at least on par with the Republic as it stands now,” Rikka answered as she sat down at the large command table where she and the fellow commanders and captains discussed their options. “We saw large fleet yards building huge battleships, the designs beyond anything we’ve seen before,” she explained. “What few scouts returned reported large multiple training academies for their Sith as well as their normal troopers,” she went on. “If they would attack now I’m unsure if we could defeat them, even if we were not currently at war with Malak’s false Sith and the Republic,” she stated.

“What do you mean at war with the Republic?” Meetra demanded to know as she stared at Rikka hard. Things were even worse than she thought. Something had gone terribly wrong after she left. 

“After finding the empire we had a meeting to decide what to do about it,” Rikka explained carefully. “It was long and involved a lot of arguing, Revan allowed everyone to have a say,” she paused here as she considered her words. “In the end we had three options open to us, one was to return home and warn the Republic and the Jedi of what we had found, but that was dismissed,” she went on. “We had already seen what the Jedi would do and the Republic senate would follow their lead and ignore the threat until it was at their throats,” she told her, almost growling at the last few words. “We all chose to ignore that choice, there was not one soldier who wished to go back,” she said, emphasizing her words to ensure Meetra knew she was serious about this. 

Meetra frowned as she considered this before nodding in understanding, having seen the Jedi’s actions during the war as well as the Senate’s mishandling then it was no surprise no one trusted them to take action if they had gone back to report what they had found. 

“The second choice was to attempt to attack the Sith full on before we were discovered, but that choice was dismissed by Revan and Malak and the others agreed,” Rikka began again. “We did not have the forces available to us to do enough damage. All it would do would be to cost us lives and ships and maybe in the end bring the Sith down on the Republic while it was still vulnerable after the Mandalorians were defeated,” she explained. “This choice was argued over a lot, but in the end the others saw Revan’s point. They knew we were not expendable cannon fodder to him and that he would not waste our lives on such a pointless attack,” she paused as she remembered the meeting. “What was agreed on were more scouting missions, although we had to be careful as the rumors the others had brought back were disturbing,” she picked up again.

“Disturbing how?” Meetra inquired listening to everything that was said carefully. 

“The first few scouts brought back reports that this mysterious Sith Emperor could bend a person’s mind corrupting them into a mockery of what they used to be,” Rikka informed her with a slight shiver. “We could not prove it and we stayed away from the great black temple that was said to be his personal retreat,” she added. 

Meetra frowned as she considered this and wondered if there was not some truth to this rumor. It might explain why Malak turned against Revan. But then again Malak had been different even before she left the fleet. He had been questioning Revan’s orders more and more. He could have just decided he was better off in charge of the fleet than Revan himself, she felt a slight headache forming as she considered things. 

“We can discuss the rest later General,” Rikka finally said as she noted how tired the other woman looked. “I will have quarters prepared for you,” she told her as she stood to leave.

“Before you do that Rikka, I want teams on every world these so called Star Maps are on,” Meetra ordered deciding not to argue with her. “If the Jedi have Revan and he still lives there is only one thing they want with him and that is this Star Forge you mentioned,” she explained as Rikka looked at her in confusion. “I still don’t understand why it is so important, but it strikes me that if it is the center of Malak’s war effort, then the Jedi will want to destroy it and the only way they can do that is with Revan,” she continued. 

“Would Revan actually lead them to it considering his own plans for the Star Forge?” Rikka inquired as she considered Meetra’s words. 

“He may not have a choice,” Meetra countered and a frown marred her features as she considered ways in which the Jedi could force Revan to aide them, she felt anger building up within her. “You said you are at war with the Jedi and the Republic even if for now we are on the side lines until we find Revan, they will treat him as a prisoner of war,” she stated before pausing, wondering yet again why they were at war with Republic and the Jedi before deciding to find out before she turned in. “Rikka what was the third choice?” she asked. 

Rikka hesitated but the look in Meetra’s eyes convinced her to answer. “The last choice was to return home and take command of the Republic and the Jedi, once that was done we were going to build both up into a strong impregnable stronghold that would be strong enough to either withstand the True Sith when they came or to actually invade their empire and destroy it,” she told Meetra. “Revan intended to wake the Jedi up to their errors and their blind obedience to rules that are long out of date. He intended to make them stronger by adding a little darkness into their precious code,” she explained. “Force them to evolve as the Sith have,” she finished. 

Meetra stared at Rikka as she digested the answer she had been given, it sounded like something Revan would choose to do if he felt it was necessary. And considering how badly the Jedi and the Senate had acted during the war, well she could see him thinking it was necessary. So that answered how things had come to stand as they were, but it still didn’t answer why Malak and half the fleet had turned on Revan and his most loyal followers. 

“Everyone agreed with this choice General,” Rikka said softly. “Not one person disagreed, we felt it was the only way to save the Republic and the Jedi, not only from the True Sith, but also from the stupidity and corruption they suffered from within,” she told her before leaving the room to carry out her orders and to get quarters prepared for their new leader at least until Revan was found. 

Meetra watched her leave before slumping back into her chair and wondered what she would do to Revan once they had found him and they were face to face once more. She had a lot to think about now she knew what had happened since she had been gone, but one thing she knew was if Revan was dead then Malak and whoever else was responsible for it would pay. Rikka returned shortly afterwards and led her to her quarters, while she had a shower and got some more sleep word quickly spread through the fleet of her return. It was seen as an omen by many, even those who had begun to lose hope of Revan being alive saw it as a sigh that there was still hope they could complete their mission and even of finding Revan if he lived.

+TR+

(Ebon Hawk)

Revan considered the problem before a smile soon grew as he realized where some of his new allies would come from. We would use Canderous and Mandalore’s mask to recruit an army of Mandalorians to fight with them. Canderous was sharp and cunning, he was fast on the draw and willing to kill when necessary. But he also had a code. He did not kill innocents or non-combatants during any attack. He was not like Cassus Fett and his ilk. Canderous would rally those like himself to him and from there help him retake the Star Forge and from there help him take the Republic. In turn this would allow Canderous to save his people from the slow death they now endured. ‘The question was would Canderous and his fellow Mandalorians wish to fight for the man who had destroyed them?’ He had no clue. Time was against him now. The True Sith must know by now what was going on and they had to see this entire region of the galaxy was open to attack. But they hadn’t yet, he wondered why?

Still even with the Mandalorians on their side it would be a hard fight, unless he could find more help. Perhaps he could find some willing allies from within the Republic and Jedi and maybe even Malak’s Sith. Risky he knew, but maybe worth it in the end. He could also recruit some mercenaries, some of the best fighters could be found within their ranks and as long as he had enough credits he could hire as many as he could find. Thankfully he’d had enough foresight to set up multiple accounts which only he knew the access codes for. Those accounts Malak had access to was only a small number he had decided to share with his former friend at his insistence. Malak was not a man who thought long term, that was one of his major weaknesses and one he intended to exploit. 

“Hey Jaks, Carth told me to tell you we are coming up to Tatoonie,” Mission called through his door. “No sign of any Sith presence so far,” she added before falling silent clearly waiting for his response. 

Opening the door and staring down at the young Twi’lek he couldn’t help but be reminded of his aide Rikka during the war. Rikka had been a slave he had saved during the first month of his entrance into the war. He had found a group of Mandalorians of Fett’s caliber using the slaves for fun in death matches. He and his men had butchered them in a wild fury, Rikka and her fellow slaves had pledged their loyalty in return for their freedom. Rikka would go on to save his life during one bitter engagement on Dxur. It had cost him many men and almost his own life, but Rikka had pushed him out of the way and took the blast to her side almost killing her in return. He had killed the attacking Mandalorians and then quickly brought Rikka to the medical tent where her life was saved. In honor of her actions during that fight he had given her a lightsaber of her very own even though she had no force connection. He had even trained her himself to use it. Mission had many of Rikka’s mannerisms and both were brave and resourceful even in the face of great danger. The main difference was Mission was a Rutian Twi’lek and blue skinned which was more frequent on Ryloth; Rikka was a Lethan Twi’lek with the rare red skin. Thinking about Rikka made him wonder if she had survived Malak’s betrayal, if not then he vowed to ensure Malak suffered just that much more. 

“Just because we can’t see them Mission that does not mean they aren’t close by,” he finally said, hoping to make sure she took this point on board. “Malak’s people are good at staying in the shadows, keep that in mind,” he pointed out. “In fact it is a wise policy to always be on your guard, no matter if things look safe or not,” he added as he passed her on the way to the cockpit. 

“I understand Jaks,” Mission said to his back. “But I’m always alert, how do you think I survived before I met big Z?” she asked him almost sarcastically causing him to turn to face her, admiring her spirit. Not many would dare to shoot a question back to him in such a manner, unable to help himself he smiled at her before departing. 

Mission smiled herself knowing she had earned some respect from the tall Jedi. She was no kid even if she was only seventeen. She had seen too much, done too much to be considered a kid. Turning she headed back to her cabin before bumping into Zayne and Jarael, as she stared at the former exile she suddenly realized she had known him back on Taris when she was still a young kid barely five if she recalled right. 

“I know you,” she said stopping Zayne in his tracks and making him turn to face her. “I met you when you helped the resistance on Taris against the Mandalorians. I helped you rescue the constable’s kids from that slime dung Brejik and my brother Griff,” she continued. 

Zayne frowned as he considered the Twi’lek before the memory surfaced, that happened during the time he split up from Jarael for a time and just before he met Celeste Morne. He remembered the small Twi’lek who had helped him expose Brejik’s scheme to ransom the kids of the local constable to make her do what he wanted. She had clearly grown up now. He almost chuckled when he remembered some of her first words to him. 

“I remember you now,” Zayne finally said. “Mission Vao isn’t it?” he inquired with a smile as Jarael looked on wondering what they were talking about. Clearly one of his adventures he hadn't told her about yet. She sensed no threat from the Twi’lek just genuine interest in seeing someone she knew from the past. 

“That’s right,” Mission agreed with a nod of her head making her leku shake. “Kinda strange running into you again during all this chaos,” she mused. “Also kinda odd that you would be the ones Bastila’s mom would hire to bring her message to her daughter isn’t it?” she asked. 

“You are cautious,” Jarael noted with a smile deciding he liked the young Twi’lek. “But we mean no harm to any of you, it seems we are all at risk from Malak,” she continued. “We knew him of old, he helped us many times during our time on the run and now he has become as evil as the Mandalorians and the Covenant put together,” she went on and Mission could hear the sadness in her tone as she spoke. Clearly Malak’s fall pained her, she understood he had once been a good guy, but now he was a monster and one that needed killing quickly as far as she was concerned. “Joining forces may help us all stay out of his clutches, something we did not think about until your friend brought it up,” she admitted. 

“We did not take into account Malak may still hold a grudge for Jarael snubbing him when he tried to come onto her,” Zayne said with a dark frown still glad after all these years that Jarael had chosen him instead of Alek. “In the end maybe the force chose us to be on Tatoonie to meet Bastila’s mother and bring her message to her so we could join up with your crew,” he speculated aloud.

Mission frowned at that one before deciding she had no clue about the force, plus Zayne had been a good guy the last time she had met him and Jaks had asked them to join them in this quest so she doubted he would be hostile now. It was another change this war had brought about, knowing who to trust as so many Jedi or former Jedi had joined Malak’s forces, but she trusted Jaks and if he wanted Zayne and his friend with them then she would trust his choice. Nodding she left them and headed for her cabin, once she reached it she lay down and tried not to think about Taris. It hurt to think about all her friends who were now dead, all the Hidden Beks as well would have perished and she had considered them almost family as they had taken care of her as a kid during the war. The tears came anyway, crying softly she fell into a troubled sleep. 

“That is a story you have not told me,” Jarael said as they headed for the cockpit. 

“It happened when me and Gryph went back to Taris when we split up the group the first time,” Zayne told her. “Brejik was second in command of the Hidden Beks back then and he decided to hold a couple of kids hostage to force the local constable to do his bidding. I rescued them and exposed Brejik thanks to Mission,” he explained with a smile. “The leader of the Hidden Beks Gadon Thek was not pleased and had some words with Brejik, it earned me their trust for a while which helped when dealing with the insane Ranna Tey and Shay,” he continued. “I at least convinced Shay I didn’t murder her brother, but there was nothing to be done for Tey as she was completely insane by that point,” he stated with a shiver as he remembered the look on the Torgruta Jedi’s face as she tried to kill him. 

Jarael seeing this took a hold of his arm and pulled him into a quick kiss. Zayne quickly forgot his memories and just enjoyed kissing his fiancee. Breaking away Jarael rubbed her fingers over his hand. “Let the past stay the past, we have a future to fight for,” she whispered. “A future together with a family of our own,” she added. Zayne smiled and nodded his head before moving them along.

Zayne and Jarael reached the cockpit to find Carth and Bastila at the controls with Jaks watching over their shoulders, the sand filled planet covered the windows as they descended. 

“I really dislike this world,” Revan couldn’t help mutter aloud as he stared at the sand covered world in distaste.

Bastila turned around in her chair to stare at him as she felt the dislike he held for this particular planet. There was something more than his disliking of the a world covered in endless sand. Something she couldn’t fully grasp, finally she felt something give and images poured into her mind. Now she understood his distaste for Tatoonie, it was one of the planets controlled by the Hutt’s and the Hutt’s were well known for their slave trading. And knowing his hatred of slavers she could well imagine what he thought of the Hutt’s, even she was not ignorant of the Hutt’s business dealings in that regard. But as with everything when in the temple it was far away and had nothing to do with the Jedi, it was the Republic’s business to deal with the Hutt’s. Only now that she was on a mission of her own did she realize that it was the Jedi’s business as well. This was the sort of the thing the Jedi were supposed to be against. The Masters said as much whenever the topic was raised, and yet they did little to actually combat the Hutt’s empire or hunt down their slave masters. 

This was the truth Revan and his followers had found during the war she realized, the Jedi had allowed themselves to become too distant to the galaxy outside the temple walls. They had dismissed any problem, but the ones dealing with the Sith and other rogue force users as unimportant. She was begging to see how wrong the Masters she had long believed in were. Turing away from Revan as she tried to refocus her troubled thoughts, Revan almost smiled as he sensed Bastila’s current thoughts and knew he was slowly destroying her belief in the Jedi and their precious code. She was coming to see the same thing he and all those Jedi who had followed had seen. The Jedi had grown far to inwardly and didn’t see that their help shouldn’t be restricted to only those things dealing with the force. They shouldn’t ignore the suffering of the thousands of slaves that existed in the galaxy, just because it was supposedly outside their jurisdiction. Nor should they refuse to aide in a war that threatened the very thing they had sworn to protect. 

“Coming in for landing now,” Carth’s voice broke up his thoughts and he refocused on the cockpit. “Bad news guys, Czerka has a presence here,” he informed them, causing both Revan and Bastila to frown.

“Do you think they have any idea what has happened to their people on Kashyyk?” Bastila inquired as she pushed her troubled thoughts aside and focused on the possible threat they were facing. 

“I don’t think they had any chance to send a distress signal when the attack started,” Carth was the one who answered. 

“Don’t take anything for granted Carth,” Revan cautioned the pilot. “We go in prepared for anything,” he ordered. “Get everyone up and ready just in case,” he added turning to Zayne and Jarael who both nodded and left the cockpit. 

The Ebon Hawk descended into the atmosphere and headed for the star port. None of those aboard her were aware how everything would change from this point forward.  
10\. Chapter 10  
(Leviathan)

Darth Malak turned as he sensed someone behind him, turning he found Admiral Karath waiting to report something. He already had an idea what he would say, but he turned fully around and faced the man. 

“Report Admiral,” he commanded coldly and smirked as the other man seemed to shiver at his tone. 

“Yes my Lord,” Karath responded with a nod. “Our reconnaissance team has returned from Kashyyk, the entire planet is in revolt Lord Malak,” he reported, knowing this wasn’t going to be received well. “The Wookiees are rebelling and slaughtering every Czerka employee they can find. The questioning of captured Wookiees revealed the rebellion was begun by a Wookiee Chieftain called Freyyr whose outlawed son seemed to be one of Revan’s companions,” he continued.

“Revan started the rebellion?” Malak stated, knowing how much his former friend hated slavers. 

“It would seem so my Lord, he and his group helped free the first village and from there inspired the Wookiees to take back their planet,” Karath agreed. “Our ambush team was found butchered close to the Shadowlands entrance, they all died from wounds caused by a lightsaber,” he reported. “Clearly Revan is not as mind wiped as the Jedi believe or if he is, he still has much of his old skills within him,” he hesitantly stated.

“It has to be Revan, why else would he start a rebellion against Czerka?” Malak shot back with a growl, convinced the Jedi had failed to wipe his former friend’s mind.

But then he couldn’t help but think that if that was true then why was Revan taking so long to come for him to avenge himself? Why go to the planets where the Star Maps were located? Why lead the Jedi to the Star Maps in the first place? What was really going on with his former friend? Was it possible the Jedi had succeeded except for some small piece of Revan’s core? His hatred of slavers was well known to anyone who really knew him. It was ingrained within the man. During the war they had freed thousands of slaves and not just from Mandalorians either. Those loyal to Revan felt as he did and eagerly helped. Most of those slaves had joined them in their crusade becoming fanatically loyal to Revan. 

It was those who he had tried to wipe out when he made his move against Revan, perhaps that kind of ingrained hatred couldn’t be removed, not even by the combined powers of the Jedi council. Perhaps also the knowledge of the Star Maps and the Star Forge remained buried in Revan’s mind, hidden by whatever had done to him, yet somehow still accessible. Yes that felt right to him, perhaps Revan as he had been was really dead. All that remained was this pale shadow with only the deepest parts of what made Revan who he was and somehow the Jedi were using this shadow to find the star maps that would lead them to the Forge and that couldn’t be allowed. 

“What about Nord?” Malak finally asked not caring how long he had kept the Admiral waiting.

He didn’t expect Nord to be still alive, but it was always possible his plan to kill Revan had succeeded. Giving Nord the blade of Ajunta Pall had been a risky gambit, angering the ancient Sith spirits by taking their belongings from the tomb without permission was a dangerous gambit, but one he had believed was worth the risk. He had planned to use it in a duel with Revan or to just assassinate him when he least expected it, but then the Jedi ambushed them and he had been given an even better chance of killing Revan without too much risk to himself. Perhaps Nord had managed to wound Revan with the blade. It wasn’t like his former friend would have expected such a threat from a mere bounty hunter. 

“Our team found him and two Wookiees dead at the bottom of the lift leading to the Shadowlands. He had been killed by someone snapping his neck most likely from a powerful force user as there are no finger prints on the man’s necks,” Karath answered. “The blade you gave him was missing and couldn’t be retrieved,” he pointed out, making Malak frown as he felt a surge of anger at losing such a useful and powerful artifact. “Even if the Jedi managed to erase Revan’s mind, his skills must be intact and a bounty hunter would have little chance against him,” the Admiral stated.

“Agreed, but it was worth a try before I commit someone more valuable to the case,” Malak agreed as he turned away and looked out into the darkness of space from the view port. “Send my apprentice to me,” he ordered. 

“Yes my Lord,” Karath responded with a salute before moving to carry out his order. Darth Bandon was not someone Karath like or respected, he considered him a sadist and a butcher with no redeeming qualities, but he dared not speak out against the man especially as Malak had chosen him as his apprentice. 

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

The Ebon Hawk touched down in the star port, the ramp descended and Revan quickly marched out along with Canderous and Zayne. The others waited inside the hangar just in case Czerka did know about what had happened to their colleagues on Kashyyk. The ship’s engines died as Carth shut them down as he locked down the ship. They were taking no chances on this world. They would stick together and watch each other’s backs. He kept his hands near his lightsabers. Canderous, he noted, had his cannon held ready to swing towards the approaching Czerka guards and Zayne, while looking relaxed, was tense and ready to leap into action. He smirked as that boded well for the future, he needed a team who were ready for a fight in an instant and these people who had somehow joined him were just those kinds of people with a range of skills to call on. 

A group of Czerka guards stopped them close to the ramp of their ship. They gave off no signs of being wary or intended them any harm that Revan could see. But he still didn’t relax, reaching out with his senses he felt a swift pulse of the dark side before it faded into the background. Another ambush team, but this one seemed far more careful and less arrogant than the one on Kashyyk. Clearly Malak still had some competent followers, thinking about followers made him wonder where the Triumvirate stood where Malak and he were concerned. He had pushed them aside since the betrayal and focused solely on Malak. That was a mistake he knew could cost him, especially if they allied with Malak. The Triumvirate was made up of Kreia one of his former Jedi Masters now under the name Darth Traya the Lord of Betrayal. There was also Darth Nihilus the so called Lord of Hunger, he had been one of the Jedi most affected by Malachor V and it had created in him a hunger for life energy to sustain him. He was in Revan’s mind a dangerous adversary and an even more dangerous ally, but he trusted that Kreia could keep him under control as long as she kept the last of the three on her side. The last member of the Triumvirate was a man known as Darth Sion the Lord of Pain. Another survivor of the battle of Malachor V, and another walking force wound like Nihilus, but unlike Nihilus he didn’t crave life energy, all he cared about was hatred and destruction. Both of these walking dead should have died on Malachor, but somehow their powers had allowed them to survive, even if dangerously altered. Kreia was someone he trusted and she had been loyal to the cause before he was betrayed by Malak. But was it possible she had fallen under the same sway as Malak? He knew Sion and Nihilus were both consumed by the darkness. ‘Could she survive prolonged contact with such darkness without being changed?’ he wondered. And if she had fallen did that mean she would help Malak? The Triumvirate had the other half of his former fleet which had been split between them. That was another thousand or more men, combined it was almost a million soldiers and ships. Considering this he prayed some of his loyal followers had escaped the purge he was certain Malak would have enacted. He would need all the help he could get to put Malak down and anyone who followed him. 

Thinking about Malachor made him think about Meetra Surik his old friend and former lover, she too had been deeply affected by the events of Malachor v. He regretted asking her to be the one to command the activation of the Mass Shadow Generator. Hadn’t he done so maybe she would still be with him to offer him wise council and maybe more. Perhaps he would not be in this situation had she still been with him when they had found the true Sith Empire deep past the outer rim. He wondered how she fared, the last time they were together she had told him she might return to the Jedi and try and make them see how much of a mistake they had made during the war. He knew they hadn’t listened, and he prayed they hadn’t harmed her because if they had he would hunt every last Master down and wipe them from the galaxy. No matter how things had changed, no matter the link he now shared with Bastila or his romantic interest in her he still felt love for Meetra as well. 

Inside the Ebon Hawk Bastila was aware of a sudden surge of first anger, then loss and finally love, but she couldn’t find the source of these emotions within Revan. He had closed the bond between them or at least as much as he could close it, she wondered what he had been thinking about to feel such strong emotions. Especially love, she hadn’t known anything about any romantic entanglements in Revan’s life, not that he would have made such a thing known as he was still a Jedi up to the point he vanished into the outer rim. She felt an irrational surge of jealously suddenly overtake her and then frowned, wondering why she suddenly felt such an emotion. The answer was something she didn’t want to face right at that moment, it was a dangerous thing to think about, let alone she might admit she actually has fallen for Revan. But that had to be a foolish notion, she had only been in Revan’s company for a few months, and even then he had been hiding behind the personality the council had believed they had installed in him. She couldn’t have possibly fallen for him could she? It was a troubling thought which only added to the confusion she now felt since Revan had revealed himself to have survived. More and more she felt distanced from her Jedi teaching, since finding out what they had attempted to do to him a sense of disgust had been growing steadily. 

She had followed his council on Kashyyk and helped start a revolution. She had begun to think as he did about so many subjects concerning the wider galaxy. And then there was her growing feeling of closeness to him, the way she took comfort in his possessive feelings towards her. Was she falling in love with Revan? Half of her dreaded to find out and the other half couldn’t wait to learn the answer. She shook her head and tried to refocus her thoughts, especially if the Czerka guards knew about what they had done on Kashyyk. 

+TR+

(Leviathan)

The doors to the bridge opened to let in a tall bald man with a goatee styled beard, his eyes looked like the darkest pits of hell and made anyone, bar Malak, who looked him in the eye tremble in fear. Stepping inside the bridge he noted a young ensign walking in front of him, with a snarl he snapped his hand out and used the force to send the man flying into a nearby bridge console. The man let out a scream of agony as he was electrocuted as the console exploded from the force of his body’s impact. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to drop him to the floor in a limp ball. Bandon smiled in malicious satisfaction as he walked past the injured man, he loved causing suffering to anyone he chose to and by doing so causing all who saw him to fear him. He strode up to his Master before kneeling. He waited for Malak to turn, not the least annoyed at being made to wait. His ego at being made Malak’s apprentice over so many other candidates made him uncaring of such a thing. If he was careful and patient he would be the next Dark Lord of the Sith. And that day was coming he thought, one day he would challenge his Master for the title. But for now he stayed the loyal servant, awaiting his lords bidding.

Finally Malak turned to face his kneeling apprentice, he could tell by the look on the other man’s face that he hoped to one day take his place just as he had thought the same when Revan still ruled. But he had no desire to be replaced; he would remove Bandon as a threat when the time came before he could enact any plan to kill him. 

“Ah Bandon good,” he said as he placed his hands behind his back. “I have an important mission for you, one to prove I made the right choice in choosing you as my apprentice,” he stated with an almost mocking tone. “My former friend and Master Revan still lives in one form or another, with him is the Padawan Bastila Shan who I wish to have join us,” he explained, knowing Bandon had no love for Revan even before he had betrayed him. Indeed Bandon had hated Revan ever since the battle of Cerea, where his friends Narim and Shiz had perished due to a bad call on Revan’s part. 

That was when the darkness had entered Bandon and begun his fall to the darkside even before they took on the guise of the Sith, that had only finished the transformation as it had for him and so many others that Revan had never known about. “She has the skill of battle meditation that has helped the Republic keep us at bay. I want her on our side to use that power to crush that which she once defended just like us,” he commanded. “I want her unspoiled and unharmed as I wish to be the one to break her,” he said and made his voice as cold and hard as he could to ensure Bandon understood he was serious. “I owe her for not only holding up our advance, but for saving Revan’s life,” he admitted.

“I understand Master,” Bandon responded with a bow, even as he felt raw hatred at hearing Revan still lived. He had believed the man who had gotten his friends killed with bad calls had finally met his much welcomed death. He suddenly smirked as he realized he would finally be able to pay Revan back personally.

“Revan and Bastila are traveling with a small group of people, kill them all except the girl I want,” Malak ordered coldly. “Take a group of our best assassins with you, even you cannot take Revan’s group alone. Do not fail me,” he stated with a glare before he turned away from Bandon.

“Yes Master,” Bandon responded, hiding a glare of his own as he took insult at what Malak had just said. Still he would do as he was told, he had no idea what sort of followers were with Revan and nor did he care, but the more of them were there, the harder his mission was and the harder it would be for him to cut Revan down as he deserved.

He stood and walked away, passing the man he had used the force to injure and in a short bout of rage used the force to finish him off by cutting off his oxygen and letting him choke to death as he tried desperately to breathe before dying with an agonized look on his face. He smiled, feeling instantly better as he exited the bridge. He passed two medics who were clearly on the way to see to the injured man not knowing it was already too late. Malak turned and watched him go, knowing he had angered Bandon with his taunt, good it would hopefully ensure he would go all out when he found Revan. 

“Admiral Karath, how goes our plans to assault Dantooine?” Malak shouted, causing the other man to jump slightly. 

“They were going well my lord, but our latest intelligence from our spies suggests Dantooine’s defenses have just been added too,” Karath reported, knowing Malak was not going to like this. “A secondary planetary fleet has arrived in orbit around the planet, making an attack much more costly and will take more time to plan for,” he continued. “It is also possible more ground based defenses have been added as well, but so far we can’t confirm that.” 

“They’ve been warned,” Malak growled in anger and most of the men on the bridge trembled as they all felt the temperature drop. It was never a good sign when Malak was this angry. “Revan,” he spat as his anger increased. 

“But how my Lord?” Karath inquired hesitantly. 

“Clearly one of our people talked,” Malak answered as he finally regained control of himself. “He kept one alive to question, he warned the Jedi so they must be working together,” he muttered almost to himself. 

“Tell our people that if anyone else talks they will face my wrath if they survive their encounters with Revan and his group,” Malak stated coldly. “Revise our plans to take into account these new defenses Admiral, but make it quick,” he ordered before he turned and stalked off the bridge, wishing he had someone to kill. 

Unlike his apprentice he had more control over himself and refrained from killing Karath or any of his underlings. He had learned from Revan that killing your own people, unless they deserved it, was counterproductive and could cost him the loyalty of his followers and he needed them to win this war. Once he ruled the empire he intended to build then he could kill them at will if he so pleased, but not until then.


	2. Chapter 2

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan kept his eyes on the guards as they came to a stop in front of them, his mind cleared as he reached out with the force as he tried to sense any danger to him and the others, but he could find none. That didn’t put him at ease and finally one of the guards stepped forward.

“Welcome to Tatoonie,” the guard stated in a bored tone, suggesting he hated his job and wished he was somewhere else. “The docking fee is 150 credits,” he told them.

Revan frowned before reaching into his belt pouch and removing the stated number of credits and handing them over. Zayne relaxed somewhat at the exchange, but Canderous remained on guard just in case. 

“Watch your step here as the Hutt’s and Czerka itself take a dim view on trouble makers,” the guard warned them before he turned and left.

Revan scowled unimpressed by the threat. He gave Bastila the okay to come down through the bond and a moment later the rest of the crew disembarked with Carth being the last one down and then he closed and sealed the hatch. 

“We need to keep an eye out while we are here. The Hutt’s and their servants are not to be underestimated,” Revan cautioned them all. “If they take a liking to any of you they will go to any lengths to capture you and sell you to the highest bidder unless the Hutt’s want you for themselves,” he continued. “They especially like to find new dancing girls, so do not go anywhere alone while we are here,” he stated as seriously as he could. 

Bastila shivered a little at the idea of being made to dance for the amusement of the Hutt’s. She could see Mission and Jarael were not too pleased by the notion either. Juhani looked revolted by the notion, in fact the closer Bastila looked at her fellow Jedi the more she could see raw hatred at the very idea. She frowned at that fact, but inwardly she was pleased by the fact that she wasn’t the only Jedi who had trouble handling their emotions. 

“Zayne, where did you meet my mother?” Bastila inquired, deciding it was best they get this meeting over with as quickly as possible.

“The local cantina,” Zayne answered. “Your mother seems to have carved out her own little bit of the place,” he added.

Bastila frowned at his answer. “Was she alone?” she inquired. 

“From what we could see yes,” Zayne responded with a nod of his head and a brief exchange of looks with Jarael. “I didn’t see anyone who looked like she was with her,” he told her. 

Bastila frowned some more at this, wondering where her father was if her mother was here on her own. Revan quickly felt Bastila’s confusion and the source of it. He suddenly had a bad feeling this reunion wasn’t going to a happy one. 

“We head to the cantina then,” Bastila said before she turned and headed for the entrance to Anchorhead with the others following her. 

As they left the landing pad they just missed another ship coming in to land. It was unique and unlike most small ships the guards had seen. It had only one mark on its outer skin. It was the mark only those who had been in the war would have recognized. It was the mark of the Revanchists, thus the guards took little notice of the three men who disembarked and quickly paid the fee before entering Anchorhead as well.  
11\. Chapter 11  
(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra awoke and was feeling far more rested than she had before she had been found by Rikka and her friend, getting up she headed for the refresher where she relieved herself before having a nice hot shower. The hot water was a change from the semi warm water in her shuttle and once she was finished she dressed and headed back to the bridge. She found Rikka already there, listening to reports from a young woman Meetra recognized as another former Jedi. If she recalled right her name was Samara Zahl, a Corellian Jedi. She waited as Samara finished her report and Rikka turned to greet her, she could tell the young Twi’lek was a little less stressed than she had been when they had met on the planet’s surface.

“I hope you slept well General,” Rikka said in greeting. 

“I did, actually for the first time in I don’t recall how long,” Meetra answered, nodding in greeting as Samara passed with a quick salute. It was obvious this fleet was run by standard military rules as it had been during the war.

“The news of your return has already run through the entire fleet General,” Rikka reported. “It has galvanized the troops, especially those who had begun to fear we would never find Revan alive, but with your return they are seeing it as a sign that Revan will either return or be found alive soon,” she admitted with a smile, one Meetra could see was filled with the same hope as the rest of the men and women in the fleet. 

She knew there had been very few people in history who could inspire such loyalty in people like Revan could, but here and now only Revan’s very name had held this fleet together even though most feared he was dead. 

“We’ve had scouting groups land on all the planets with a star map as you ordered,” Rikka continued. “However the Kashyyk team report seems to be odd, although if I’m reading it right it might be our first clue as to where Revan is,” she stated as confidently as she could.

“What do you mean by that Rikka?” Meetra quickly demanded to know. 

“According to the team the planet is in complete revolt against Czerka and from what they’ve found out it started with a group of visitors that included a Jedi who seemed to despise slavers,” Rikka answered with a small smile, she seemed to be fighting to hold in. “The former Wookiee chieftain was in league with Czerka, selling out his own people and he made these visitors a deal that involved them killing a supposed madclaw,” she explained. “Turns out that this madclaw was the former chieftain and father to the traitor and his brother who was traveling with this unique Jedi,” she went on as Meetra listened intently. “Instead of doing as this traitor wanted they made a deal with the former chieftain and helped him not only kill his traitorous son, but removed Czerka from his village in a very violent and bloody way,” she stopped as she took a breath before continuing. “From there they inspired the Wookies to wage a rebellion, one that is still ongoing,” she finished. 

“And you think this Jedi was Revan?” Meetra inquired, already seeing why she would think that.

“It would make sense as no normal Jedi would ignite a rebellion, they stay clear of violating things they consider outside their jurisdiction and they’ve ignored slavery for years,” Rikka argued. 

“Who else was in this group this particular Jedi was in?” Meetra asked, not willing to even contemplate the idea this Jedi was Revan just yet. 

“A couple of Jedi which may have included the one who led the ambush that allowed Malak his opening to attack Revan when he was distracted,” Rikka answered. “Bastila Shan is her name, she is the reason the Jedi and Republic are even still in the war,” she stated. “We also believe she is the one who captured Revan, if as we believe he is their prisoner,” she added.

“How so?” Meetra asked, not recognizing the name, but then she had been in exile since the end of the war so that was no surprise. 

“Shan has the rare ability of battle meditation,” Rikka told her. “She is the Republic and Jedi’s secret weapon, although not that secret as we found out about her quite quickly when the battles began to turn against us that we had won up to that point,” she explained to the very interested Meetra. “It is how their ambush on us worked so well,” she pointed out with a frown.

“Who else?” Meetra asked, steering the conversation away from Shan as she got the distinct impression Rikka held a grudge against her and blamed her for the current situation. 

“A Wookiee and a young Twi’lek, a republic pilot, a droid and a Mandalorian,” Rikka continued. “Before they left Kashyyk they were joined by another Jedi who was traveling with an Arkanian Offshoot,” she added.

Meetra frowned at this piece of information as she remembered Alek had been interested in an Arkanian Offshoot during the beginning fazes of the Mandalorian war, and if she remembered correctly the Arkanian Offshoot rejected him in favor of the Jedi who was supposed to have committed the Taris massacre right before the Revanchists entered the war. But why would Revan, if it was him, been traveling with a Mandaloorian? Granted the war was over, but some hates refused to die and she knew this personally. Everyone who had followed Revan had a deep abiding hatred of the Mandalorians, and that was not something that was so easily let go. 

“Do we know where this group is now?” Meetra asked as she began to feel the first faint hope that Rikka might be right and that Revan was in this group. But she still had doubts, if it was him then why was he traveling with Jedi who, according to Rikka, they were at war with. Why had the Jedi in the party allowed him to incite a rebellion on Kashyyk? Too many questions and not enough answers, and she didn’t like that.

“Not so far General, but we have people out looking for them and their ship which we have a good description off,” Rikka responded with a smile. “And if they land on any of the other planets with a star map, our teams there will let us know,” she added confidently.

“Good, because you might be right Rikka, this might be a lead as to what happened to Revan,” Meetra replied with a sharp look at the Twi’lek. “Even if he is not in the group, I want this Bastila Shan captured at the least, so that we can learn what she knows and I want her unharmed,” she ordered. “Understood?” she asked. 

“Yes General,” Rikka agreed and nodded quickly. “I will put the word out to all our teams,” she told her. 

“Good, now I think you better give me the complete run down on how we stand fleet and man power wise,” Meetra said as she sat down at a nearby console. “If Revan is in that group and we get him back, you can bet he will want to move to squash Malak and anyone else who stand in his way to complete his mission,” she stated with a smile.

Rikka nodded in agreement, when Revan returned and she refused to believe he would not return to lead them, then he would want to kill Malak as quickly as he could so they could continue the mission they had all vowed to finish. 

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan and Bastila led the group straight into the desert city taking note of everyone they passed. Revan’s warnings rang in all of their minds. They came to a stop as a Duros stormed out of a building yelling at someone behind him. It turned out to be a human woman wearing a Czerka outfit. Revan stopped the group and listened as the two argued, clearly the Duros was a bounty hunter and he was surprisingly in Revan’s mind turning the contract down. As he listened he heard that the city was having trouble with the local Sandpeople tribe, an increase in attacks on any who exited the city into the desert. That would prove troubling for the people living here. It could also prove troubling for them if they encountered any Sandpeople. Finally the Duros shouted something in his native tongue before storming off, the Czerka woman growled before she turned to storm back into her shop, but paused as she took note of Revan and his companions. 

“You look like Jedi or at least some of you do,” the woman said, sounding surprised by their presence. “I don’t suppose I could interest you in doing us a favor?” she suggested.

“Why are you having trouble with the Sandpeople?” Revan demanded to know, surprising Bastila who had expected another furious reaction because of who the woman worked for. “I overheard your conversation with the Duros bounty hunter,” he added at the woman’s look. “How many have they killed?” he asked pointedly, gaining the others attentions especially Bastila’s who was surprised he cared although given her constant changing view of him that should not be so much a surprise. 

The Czerka woman let out a sigh before she answered. “In total they’ve killed twenty people in the last two months. Two were entire families living beyond the safety of the city in small vapor farms,” she told them. “I’ve been trying to find someone to deal with them, the few hunters we hired ended up dead,” she admitted. 

“Have they taken any prisoners?” Bastila inquired as she realized how serious the situation was and that it could get worse unless someone dealt with it. 

“A few of our people are unaccounted for, mostly technicians,” the woman admitted. “The last was a male Twi’lek called Griff Vao. Not exactly one of our best employee’s but he was willing to go out to find one of our lost tractors,” she explained. 

Mission immediately stiffened in shock as the woman mentioned her brother’s name, part of her felt like groaning in frustration while the other half was concerned what the Sandpeople might do to him. No matter what Lena might have said back on Dantoonie, Griff was still her brother and if he was in trouble she had to help him. 

“Jaks... that’s my brother,” she whispered after moving closer to the front. 

“I know Mission,” Revan whispered back, having already remembered where he had heard that name before. Glancing back at the young Twi’lek he could see she was both concerned and frustrated by this development, as any sibling would be he guessed. 

“We’ll take the job,” Revan told the Czerka woman half disgusted that he would have to actually help the company who profited of slavery instead of doing the galaxy a favor and wiping the company out wholesale. 

Bastila frowned as she caught some of Revan’s more blood thirsty thoughts where Czerka was concerned. She could see why he held such hate for slavers, but wiping out an entire company in her view was going a little too far. The whole company couldn’t be all in on the slavery business, at least she hoped not. 

“We will?” Canderous inquired, sounding somewhat bored. 

“It is best to keep the Sandpeople under heel or they will eventually try and wipe out every other species on this planet,” Revan shot back without turning to look at the Mandalorian. “All it would take is one of them to rally the others into an unstoppable host. What no one has taken into account is just how many tribes of Sandpeople there is on this dust ball of a planet,” he continued with a grim look in his eyes. “And just how many Sandpeople are in those tribes,” he added. 

“You paint a very disturbing picture Jaks,” Juhani stated and they could all see she was troubled by what they had been told. 

“Guess you have a point,” Canderous reluctantly agreed. 

“Excuse me, let us not forget we are here for a reason,” Carth pointed out before anyone else could say anything. “We don’t have time for this,” he stated. 

“Yes we do Carth,” Revan shot back as Bastila actually turned and glared at the pilot. “The local tribe is close to the location of the star map so we will not be going out of our way,” he assured him. 

“And need I remind you Carth that people are been killed by these attacks,” Bastila could not help but to add heatedly. “It is our duty as Jedi to stop these attacks and stop them we will,” she told him. 

“And they have my brother you nerf herder,” Mission growled with her own glare. “We have to rescue him,” she insisted. 

Carth looked between the two women before turning to glance at Jaks before nodding in agreement. He could see the others were all willing to take on the mission including Canderous. That meant there was nothing he could do to change their minds, but if Jaks was right and the star map was close to the Sandpeople tribe then at least it would not be too big a diversion. 

“We’ll take the job,” Revan repeated to the waiting Czerka employee.

“Excellent,” the woman stated with a wide smile at finally finding someone who looked like they could actually sort this particular problem out. The fact the person was not alone and seemed to be a Jedi was just the icing on the cake so to speak, granted looking over the group it seemed there was more than one Jedi in this particular group and that should help. “Here, you will need this,” she told them as she handed over a plexicard. “It is a hunting license and it will get you through the gate which is on lock-down right now. Only people with a license can get out,” she explained as Revan pocketed the card. 

“We’ll let you know how it goes,” Revan said with a nod of his head before leading the group onwards. 

Bastila frowned as they got close to a wide corner just ahead of them. She was getting a feeling of impending doom. She was about to ask Revan about it when he let her know through the bond it was another ambush squad. She frowned even more as she processed that information. It was clear to her that Malak would never let up in his attempts to capture her, he was willing to expend as many of his people as it took to take her prisoner. 

‘Over my dead body,’ Revan assured her over the bond and she could sense the utter truth in his statement. He meant it. He intended to ensure she never fell into Malak’s hands even if it killed him. 

The very idea made her tingle from head to toe no matter how much she told herself not to let it affect her, but no matter what she tried to tell herself she found the idea of meaning that much to Revan that he would die to protect her an amazing feeling. Then she frowned when she considered that thought, did she mean anything to Revan or was it more about him wanting her on his side in whatever plan he was eventually going to hatch? She was not dumb enough to believe he would not want revenge on the Jedi for what they had tried to do to him. If she was honest she would want revenge as well had it been her in his position. 

‘You think too much Bastila,’ Revan’s amused voice sounded in her head and she quickly became aware he must have heard what she had been thinking over the bond. She flushed in embarrassment before gaining control of herself. She tried to glare at Revan, but he simply shrugged it off. ‘And to ease your mind and your concerns about my motives where you are concerned, yes I want you on my side, but not only to help me complete my mission,’ he admitted with as much sincerity as he could muster. ‘As I told you before I’m interested in you for more personal reasons as well, and the more time I spend in your company the more I find myself wanting you,’ he told her.

Revan knew he was taking a risk opening himself up like this, but the truth was he wanted Bastila with a burning passion that was growing the more time he spent with her. She had a unique attitude that he found inviting, and even though she tried to play things to the Jedi code he knew she had trouble controlling her emotions and following their rules. She was not one of the empty headed drones the council usually created, in a lot of ways she reminded him of Meetra. She had spirit and courage. She refused to be beaten as she had shown on the bridge of his former ship. Even as he cut down her fellow Jedi as they tried to kill him, she stood defiant and willing to stand up to him. She could be feisty and stubborn. All in all she was everything he wanted in a woman. Bastila could feel Revan’s emotions as he talked, knew he was serious and this had the effect of making her blush once more. ‘Why did he have this effect on her?’ she wondered once more.

Her feelings were conflicted, now more than when they landed on this planet and she had a jealous reaction to the thought of Revan having a previous lover, and that was only twenty minutes ago. What was happening to her? Was she really falling for Revan or was he using the bond to change her? ‘Now you are just being silly, the bond can’t allow us to have such power over the other,’ Revan assured her, clearly still listening to her thoughts. 

‘How would you know?’ Bastila shot back trying to use anger to divert her rather confused emotions from what she feared was the truth to her question. 

Revan paused at the beginning of the turn, where he knew right at the end of the turn the Sith ambush squad awaited them. He turned and locked his eyes with Bastila’s, she met his gaze evenly. 

‘Bastila force bonds can allow two people to feel the others emotions as well as open their minds to each other so they can read their thoughts as we can do,’ Revan told her calmly. ‘The deeper the bond, the greater the connection,’ he stated. ‘What it does not do is allow one to change a person’s core beliefs,’ he continued. 

‘But it can allow you to influence my thoughts,’ Bastila said cutting him off. 

‘As you can mine,’ Revan shot back evenly. 

“Do you two mind not doing that?” Carth interrupted their inner discussion. Both turned to stare at the pilot and the others who were watching them. “Seeing you two stare at one another like that knowing you are actually talking over that bond you share is annoying and kind of rude,” he told them. “And we have a lot of things to do, important things so whatever discussion you are having leave till later,” he added. 

Revan glared slightly at the pilot before glancing at Bastila who looked just as annoyed at their talk being interrupted, deciding they could finish their talk later both nodded. 

“You are correct Carth,” Bastila said in an even tone as she did her best to keep the frustration she felt out of her voice. 

“Indeed, especially as there is a Sith ambush team just ahead of us,” Revan agreed moving on although inside he felt like hitting the other man for interrupting them. 

“How do you know?” Carth inquired in a somewhat suspicious tone which was not a surprise to Revan who had gotten used to the man’s deep mistrust of others, not that he did not have a good reason for it. Been betrayed by someone you considered a friend or mentor could have troubling side effects, making it hard to trust anyone again. 

“We felt a warning through the force,” Bastila answered as she turned away and looked forward. “They expect to catch us off guard, but we will surprise them instead,” she told them. 

Canderous grinned as he learned there was to be a fight against more Sith, he loved fighting challenging enemies. And there was no more challenging than Sith and Jedi, he knew that from personal experience. The others all readied their own weapons, what they did not see was that they were been watched by the three cloaked strangers whose ship had landed just after their own. 

“It’s them,” the tallest of them said. 

“Are you certain Melkor?” the smallest inquired as he stared after the group who were deep in discussion about something. 

“Of course I’m,” Melkor insisted in slight annoyance at been questioned. “Now all we have to do is confirm whether the leader really is Revan or not,” he mused aloud. 

“And if he is not?” the last of the three asked.

“Then we capture the girl as we were ordered,” Melkor responded with a roll of his eyes at what should have been obvious. “The question is how we do that without harming her, as long as she is with the others taking her will be tricky,” he told them. 

“Then we draw her away from the group somehow,” the smallest suggested easily. 

“Not a bad suggestion Niks, but what would draw her away?” Melkor said after some consideration. 

“I suggest we keep watching, perhaps something we can use will reveal itself in time,” the last one spoke up with a look of concentration as he thought over the problem.

“What do we do if it really is the General leading them?” Niks inquired. 

“We make contact and hope that the Jedi have not done something to his mind to make him believe he is still one of their loyal lackeys,” Melkor growled in answer. 

The very idea of the man he had followed throughout the war and beyond being enslaved in a sense by the Jedi enraged him, and he was certain that it is what had happened the Jedi would wish they had never captured Revan, especially now that they had General Surik in command at least until Revan returned. It was well known Surik and Revan had been lovers before the battle of Malachor V and if the Jedi had harmed Revan in such a way then Surik would reign destruction down on them, just as Revan would for her.

“They’re moving, we follow but stay out of their vision or senses,” Melkor snapped out as the group moved on and they quickly followed.  
12\. Chapter 12  
(Jedi Temple)

Vima knelt in meditation in her own room. She was deeply troubled by the loss of contact with her daughter’s team on Nar Shaddaa, they had been scouting what had been identified as a base of operations for one of Revan’s former spy groups. Since Revan’s capture and reprogramming the base had gone silent and had little contact with the main Sith fleet, hence it was decided by the council to send a small team to find out what the status of the base and its personnel was. Her daughter Ari had been assigned to lead the mission. It was her first major assignment since earning her knighthood. Vima had faith in her daughter’s abilities, but she worried that she may have encountered more than she could handle, even backed up by two other knights. The council however had refused to send anyone to check on them, stating that they had no one to spare to send, especially not a council member themselves. That statement had come from Atris and been backed up by Vrook and Vandar, she had accepted their decision, but on the inside she was angered by it.

Vrook and Atris had never liked the fact that she had a daughter in the first place. They didn’t believe Jedi should even have any family. That once they joined the order they should be committed to it beyond all other factors, they looked down on those Jedi who had broken the code and had children. The only reason they had not called for her to be exiled was of course her heritage as Nomi Sunrider’s daughter. They ignored the fact that without a new generation there would be no more Jedi and children born of two force uses usually produced a strong force connected child. It was one of the rules she agreed with Revan should have been struck down long ago, but the order of Jedi, which she belonged to, refused to even consider change. Maybe Revan was right, maybe the Jedi had become their own worst enemy. She let out a sigh and opened her eyes as she ended her meditation. She still could find no clue as to what may have befallen her daughter and that continued to worry her. At least she did not feel Ari was in pain, which would be something she would feel through the force. She decided to try again in a few hours and if that did not work, then damn the council she would find someone to go check on her daughter and her team. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra considered options and plans as she read through the recent reports from the many spies Rikka had deployed. The young Twi’lek had truly come into her own while she was in charge of the fleet. Her time as Revan’s aide had brought the former slave into a whole new life, and since Revan’s potential capture by the Jedi she had done everything she could to keep the fleet together. More than likely it was due to her actions in saving Revan’s life during the war, as well as her time as his aide that had granted her so much respect that the rest of the fleet had followed her. Leaning back in her chair she wondered what would have happened had she not been able to hold things together. Revan would need every able bodied man and woman for his plan to still succeed and she knew him well enough to know he would want to continue with his plan once he returned. Now that she knew the full story she agreed it was the only way to save the Republic and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well from the True Sith. 

“It doesn’t look good does it, General?” Rikka asked from behind her, having stayed quiet while Meetra caught up on how they stood.

“No, not right now it doesn’t Rikka,” Meetra reluctantly agreed with a shake of her head and a sigh. “We have close to three thousand soldiers and force users combined, a couple of hundred tanks and artillery pieces and finally one thousand ships and fighters combined,” she repeated what Rikka had told her when asked where they stood in man power and fleet status.

It might sound a lot to those who had never been in the military or in a war, but in reality it was a small number when compared against the fleets and armies of the Republic and Malak’s Sith. And Malak’s Sith had the added advantage of the Star Forge which could create new ships and tanks with ease. She guessed they should be lucky that even that small number now in this fleet had stayed loyal to Revan and their plan. 

“It is why I didn’t dare launch any real operations, at least not until Revan returned,” Rikka admitted. “I knew I could not throw away any lives or ships in an attempted revenge attack,” she explained when Meetra turned to fully look at her. 

“You did the right thing Rikka, believe me,” Meetra assured her and reached over to give her a quick pat on the arm. “Revan would not want you to waste men and ships in a pointless attack sourly to gain revenge against Malak. No, his time will come once Revan is back and believe me it will gain us all the revenge we desire against those who have betrayed us,” she insisted. “They will learn why Revan had such an affinity for the word revenge,” she stated with a cold smile which was quickly shared by the young Twi’lek. 

“So what will we do until then General?” Rikka inquired. 

“Nothing we can do until Revan returns, the minute we strike at either Malak’s Sith or the Republic we expose ourselves and at the moment we are too vulnerable and will be wiped out,” Meetra answered with a frustrated sigh. “At the moment they don’t know we still exist as a threat and that is something Revan will want in our favor when he comes back,” she told her as she stood up and paced a little. “Surprise will be our favor when we announce our return. Malak and the Jedi will feel the full weight of our anger when we do attack, I can promise you that,” she continued. “But only when Revan takes charge again, so you make sure the rest of the fleet understands that Rikka,” she ordered as she stopped and turned to look at the young Twi’lek. 

“I will General, I promise,” Rikka assured her, relieved she had made the right choice in keeping the fleet hidden. 

She knew a lot of the men and women within the fleet wanted revenge against Malak and those that had followed him in betraying them, but she had held them back and it had caused some resentment, but with the General backing up her call she knew it was the right call to make. She quickly turned and left to make sure the others knew this as well, just as the General had ordered. Revenge would come, but only when Revan led them once more. 

Meetra watched her go and then turned and headed for her own quarters. Even with what she had told Rikka, the truth was that she wanted revenge against Malak just as much as she suspected the others did, but she knew wasting lives wasn’t worth that revenge and she knew Revan would never sanction wasting the lives of their comrades for revenge either. So for now she would hold back until Revan was found. Then she and the others would make Malak and all his followers pay for what they had done. But she and Revan would have to ensure they did not lose sight of the goal they had set themselves, they had a mission to complete and loosing focus could end up getting them all killed. 

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan’s lightsaber caught and deflected the flying blade the Sith sent his way as the seven man ambush struck, he almost smiled at their overconfidence. He lashed out with his boot and watched the other man stumble backwards. This left him open to his second blade which he sent straight into the man’s exposed chest. He didn’t even watch as the man fell dead, he turned and attacked another who was busy deflecting the bolts from Carth and Misson’s blasters. The man never saw him coming, his lightsaber carved right through the man who dropped to the ground almost cut in half. 

Bastila came right over his head and she dived to his side and deflected an attack from behind him, she had obeyed the warning from the force without question and dived away from the woman she was fighting to protect Revan’s unprotected flank. The female Sith snarled as the Jedi bitch escaped her and tried to follow, however she ended up running into Canderous’s line of sight and took three bolts to the chests. She let out a groan of agony before falling to the ground in a puddle of her own blood, her eyes roved wildly as she fought to stay alive. That fight became moot as a grenade fell next to her. Her eyes widened in alarm and she had a brief feeling of regret before the grenade exploded, killing her and causing the other fighters to fall to the ground. 

Jolee groaned as he pushed himself back to his feet, the explosion had disrupted the fight and sent all of them to the ground. He looked up and saw two of the Sith coming towards him, while the other two were headed for the prone form of Bastila. He let out a curse as he noted Carth, Canderous, Jarael, Mission and Juhani were out cold or at least disorientated enough to be taken out of the fight. He looked for Revan, only to see him fighting three more Sith who must be reinforcements for this ambush squad. He regained his balance and charged the oncoming Sith, Zaalbar quickly followed as he had been far enough away to only be affected a little by the blast. 

Watching all this was Melkor, Niks and Bentz, each conflicted as to what to do. They could each see that it was indeed Revan in charge of this small group, what they didn’t know was whether or not he was still the man who had led them through the war and beyond it or whether the Jedi had done something to his mind and made him their slave once again. But they could see things turning against Revan and his team. Revan himself was outnumbered three to one and his remaining fighters were cut off from Bastila who was now been charged by two more Sith and it was clear the young woman would not be able to defend herself as she looked stunned from the grenade blast. 

“Options?” Melkor demanded knowing they could not allow the Sith to capture the girl they themselves had been ordered to capture if they could.

“We have to intervene and now before they get hold of the girl” Niks stated as he pulled his lightsaber from his belt. “We can make up a story if that is not Revan once the fight is over,” he added at the looks he got for his suggestions. “Our orders will be for nothing if they get a hold of Shan and her battle meditation,” he reminded them. “Malak already has the Star Forge, how much worse do you think he will be if he gets the girl and breaks her?” he spat before turning and charging towards the battle heading straight for the two Sith bearing down on Bastila. 

Melkor and Bentz glanced at each other before pulling their own lightsabers and following their comrade. They knew he was right if Malak got a hold of and broke Shan then he would be far more powerful and much harder, if not impossible, to defeat even if they got Revan back. They had to act, but Melkor promised to have words with Niks when this was over as he was the mission commander and not Niks and it was his choice whether to act or not.

Revan growled in anger as saw out of the corner of his eye the Sith coming down on Bastila’s prone form. He had to get to her and quickly or they would take her and then she would end up in Malak’s hands, something he had sworn would never happen. Suddenly he let out a hiss of pain as one of the Sith landed a blow on his exposed side. He turned and lashed out with a back kick before following it up with his lightsabers, cutting the man in half before turning back to block the attacks from his other two attackers. It was at that point he saw three more figures charge into the fray, but instead of attacking him or any of the rest of team they intercepted the two Sith heading for Bastila. He felt relief at that, before he refocused on his own attackers. Off to the side Jolee and Zaalbar were fighting the other two remaining Sith. Zayne was beginning to wake up, but was still sluggish as he tried to refocus after the blast and he quickly turned to check on Jarael who lay close by. 

Niks caught the two Sith just before they reached Bastila, Melkor and Bentz quickly caught up and launched themselves into the fray. The Sith were caught off guard by the newcomers and were quickly forced on the defensive. Niks dived right then left as he dodged the wild swings of the left sided Sith, Melkor and Bentz teamed up on the right handed one. Zayne finally shook himself awake and checked fully on Jarael, he was relieved to find a steady pulse and no obvious signs of injury. Grabbing his lightsaber he activated it and headed for the fight Revan was engaged in, both Sith were unaware of his presence so focused on bringing their former leader down and earning the reward that would go with killing him. Zayne shoved his blade right through one of the men. This shocked the other who turned to attack him before realizing his mistake and turned back towards Revan only to receive a blade through his stomach. He coughed up blood as he stared into the cold eyes of Revan before dying. 

Revan removed his blade before nodding at Zayne in thanks for the help before rushing over to check on Bastila who still remained unconscious. Zayne moved to help Zaalbar and Jolee only to see them finally gain the upper hand allowing Jolee to remove the head of one of the Sith while Zaalbar and Canderous, who had finally recovered as well, brought down the other one. 

Revan reached Bastila and bent down to check her pulse even as the unknown people who had entered the fight continued to fight the last two Sith. He quickly found a steady pulse and let out a sigh of relief before checking the rest of her body for any signs of injury. He found none except for a few scratches and cuts on her arm and side, growling low in his throat he stood back up and headed for the last two Sith as Jolee, Zayne and Zaalbar checked on their other friends while Canderous moved to cover them in case any more enemies turned up. Revan charged right into the fight cutting into an attempted attack by one of his unknown helpers. Niks however quickly realized who had stepped in between him and his enemy and quickly backed off. He saw the look on Revan’s face as he passed and knew the unlucky Sith was about to have a very painful end. He turned to help his friends, but found they had their own fight under control so he went to guard the unconscious Shan.

Revan used both of his lightsabers to attack the Sith who was pushed backwards as he did so. While the Sith was good he was nowhere near Revan’s skill with a lightsaber. He dropped one of his lightsabers as he swung wide with the other, the Sith moved to counter before he was launched backwards into a wall by a force push with enough force to break two of his ribs. He dropped his weapon and cried out in pain. Revan grinned nastily as he used the force to cut off the man’s airways and watched as he slowly suffocated from a lack of air. He found with Bastila unconscious his darker urges and instincts were closer to the surface thus his intent to make this man suffer for daring to try and take Bastila away from him. Finally the man died as he was allowed to drop to the ground like a puppet with its string cut. Revan then turned to see the last Sith cut down by the two other newcomers. He reached out with the force and called his other lightsaber to his hand and pointed them at them, he then frowned as he took in each of their faces.

Revan smirked as he realized he knew these men, they had been some of the Jedi who had followed him in the war. They had been Revanchists, and seen as they had helped killed Malak’s ambush team he had to assume they were still loyal to him and the cause. But he refused to deactivate his weapons just yet just in case. He looked the men over taking in their features before their names came to him as he had always made it a good policy to remember the people who served under him no matter their rank. 

“Niks Ka’narr, Melkor Xon Tarok and Jarrik Bentz,” Revan said calmly. He waited as he watched their reactions which were to look between themselves for a few seconds. 

“General it is you isn’t it?” Niks was the one to finally ask. 

“It is but do not call me by my name or rank” Revan said quickly as he noted Canderous and Zayne approaching from the side, while Jolee and Zaalbar checked on the others. “At the moment I’m going by the alias of Jaks Toulon, use it,” he ordered. 

The men quickly caught on as they watched Revan’s companions reach them; clearly whatever was going on had their leader using a cover. That raised the question whether the Jedi knew Revan was still himself, or did they believe he was this Jaks Toulon?

“Friends of yours?” Canderous inquired as he leveled his blaster cannon at them. 

“Yes they are,” Revan said as he moved back to Bastila’s side and checked her over again. “Keep an eye out,” he ordered over his shoulder.

At his touch Bastila let out a moan as she began to come too, this relieved him and he quickly felt the bond reignite between them dampening his more blood thirsty thoughts and instincts. He frowned and wondered just how the bond between himself and Bastila really worked. It seemed far different than any of the other force bonds he had read about. 

Bastila opened her eyes feeling groggy and slightly in pain near her left side, looking up she found Revan kneeling besides her looking relieved. Her last memory was an explosion during the fight against the Sith ambush squad, clearly it had knocked her out. Sitting up slowly she noted Carth and a few of the others also waking up, so clearly she had not been the only one to be knocked out. Rubbing her head a little she tried to stand, but quickly sat back down again as a wave of dizziness overcame her. Revan rubbed her back a little and she found herself enjoying the brief contact and almost leaned her head against his chest before catching herself. Using the force to force back the dizziness she finally stood up with only a little help from Revan. She looked around and took note all the Sith were dead much to her relief before her eyes landed on the three waiting newcomers. 

“Who are they Revan?” she whispered so no one would overhear her using his real name. 

“Old friends,” Revan responded calmly as he watched Bastila regain her balance and begin to move around without his aid. This answer caused her to snap her head to stare at him in alarm. 

“Old friends?” she demanded to know as she stepped towards him wondering just what she had missed while she had been unconscious. The only old friends she knew Revan had were all now following Malak. She felt a well of dread overcome her as she looked at Revan wondering if all his acts of caring and attraction had been a lie and he was once again about to embrace his role as Dark Lord, a role he had said was a lie. 

“They are not Sith Bastila,” Revan assured her with a little annoyance in his tone as he overheard her troubled thoughts. Bastila quickly caught the signs that she had angered him slightly by her doubt. She cursed herself for not ensuring he could not overhear her thoughts. “They saved your life,” he stated, catching her off guard just as she was about to launch into an argument as the others crowded around them.

“Excuse me?” Bastila finally inquired not sure what to say in response. 

“I was been kept away from you by three Sith, while Jolee and Zaalbar were facing the other two survivors from the ambush squad. However they had backup who headed right for your unconscious body,” Revan explained. “They would have taken you before I could stop them, my friends here stopped them and killed them, thus saving your life,” he continued. Here he told a small lie as he had killed one of her potential abductors, but he did not want her to know just how he had killed him.

Bastila blinked at him a few times as she absorbed what he had said. Finally she calmed down and accepted these old friends of his were not the enemy. Turning she found the three of them watching the exchange with interest. She looked them over, but found no outward signs that they had been corrupted by the dark side of the force like she had seen in some of the holo images from the archives. 

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but we have to be careful,” Bastila finally said. “Thank you for your aid,” she added. 

“Always happy to help our friend Jaks out,” Niks said in response, quickly adapting to using Revan’s cover name, although he had almost slipped up and called him General, which would have been a bad mistake especially if the Jedi and the Republic pilot didn’t know the truth about Revan’s survival. “Guess we were just lucky to be in the area,” he added with a fake chuckle. 

“Yeah very lucky,” Carth couldn’t help but mutter under his breath. He was very suspicious of these newcomers, friends of Jaks or not. 

“We best get somewhere where we can talk, away from these dead bodies before someone starts asking questions,” Canderous suggested as he looked around and noted a few people were beginning to look in their general direction. 

“Agreed, we’ll head to the cantina and talk there,” Revan stated with a nod of his head. “But stay alert just in case there are more of them,” he added as he turned and led the group away from the carnage. Bastila followed quickly after him, she wanted to talk to him in private about these old friends of his and to ask if there was any more out there which was an idea that troubled her.  
13\. Chapter 13  
(Leviathan)

Malak’s eyes snapped open and he growled low in his throat as he failed to locate Revan through the force, clearly he was suppressing his aura so he couldn’t be tracked. But was he doing it deliberately and under his own power, meaning he was still the man he had once followed? Or was he doing it because the council had succeeded in wiping his mind and forming a new personality within his body, hence changing his aura? It was a question that kept narring at him. Was Revan who he had been or was he someone blank slate created by the council? While the Jedi seemed convinced they had killed Revan’s mind and implanted a new one, his actions on Kashyyk seemed to indicate they had failed. His mind switched to his apprentice and wondered if he would manage to kill Revan and his friends. Either way he had sent some of his best assassins with him so he should have a good chance of doing as he was ordered. He wanted Bastila Shan captured and converted and soon. He needed her battle meditation to make his conquest of the Republic go all the quicker. He even thought if she was easily consumed by the dark side then she may make a more malleable apprentice than Bandon, who wished to replace him and couldn’t be trusted.

“I will have her Revan, no matter how much you try to protect her,” he whispered to himself, but wishing his former friend was able to hear him. He suspected Revan had his own interest in Shan, especially if he was still himself and taking her from him and making her his own would hurt him all the more before he was killed. Something he still wished to do was cause Revan pain, even if it was only his shadow that he hurt.

+TR+

(Tatoonie, cantina)

Revan came to a halt as he felt a suitable shift in the force as if someone was searching for him, tightening his suppression of his force aura he moved to the back table with his group. He knew it had to be Malak looking for him through the force. Who else could it be? He was certain Malak was feeling somewhat uneasy now he knew he still lived. In fact he was sure on a level he refused to contemplate he was afraid of this news. Malak’s fall to the darkside had changed him much more than he probably suspected, more to the point he was certain his former friend refused to even consider how depleted he now was to what he had once been. Sitting at the table with Bastila to his left and the three newcomers in front of them, Carth and the others quickly found tables of their own and began to order drinks. 

“Now we can get some answers,” Bastila muttered, still wary of the newcomers, or more importantly their past connection with Revan. 

Revan understood why she was on guard, especially as to how they had found them, but he hoped she would wait before launching anymore suspicions on his people. He leaned back in his chair and used the force to raise a barrier around their table after the waitress had brought them their drinks, this way no one would be able to hear anything they said. 

“We can talk now,” he told them as he looked around to ensure no one had noticed anything, and no one had not even Juhani and Jolee who should have sensed the barrier going up. Zayne was too busy talking to Jarael about something and from the looks of the way they were talking it was personal and had nothing to do with what had just happened. “I’ve raised a force barrier so no one can overhear us,” he added with a grin. 

“General, what is going on? Why are you here helping the Republic?” Niks inquired first before either of his two friends could get a word in. 

“I was captured during the ambush although had it not been for Bastila I would not have lived long enough to be captured, she saved my life,” Revan answered, deciding to start at the beginning. “I was brought back to the temple where the council tried to destroy me. They tried to erase everything I am or ever have been so they could create a new loyal personality into my body to control and use to try and uncover the secrets that led us down the path we took that they believe led us to turn to the dark side,” he continued and the anger and hatred that this news caused in Revan’s supposed allies wasn’t lost on Bastila. “They failed as the force protected me. I still have work to do and so I allowed them to believe they had succeeded in their task and I played along,” he paused as he opened the force barrier to allow the waitress to bring them their drinks before raising it once more. “It took time and our little joint on Taris before they decided I had to be trained as a Jedi. I again pretended to have none of my old strength or powers even though it galled me to do so, but once that was complete they gave me the mission of helping Bastila track down the star maps that she had seen through the force bond we share,” he continued before taking a long gulp of his Corellian brandy.

“You share a force bond with the Jedi who captured you?” Melkor inquired with clear worry. 

‘More than likely worried about how it was affecting his mind,’ Bastila thought. 

“I do Melkor, but don’t worry I’m still myself, your worries are the same Bastila herself had about the bond,” Revan assured him with a chuckle “She too thinks the bond might alter our personalities when you should both know that is impossible, force bonds can’t allow us that much influence,” he stated. 

“Sorry General,” Melkor responded feeling suitably chastised. 

“Are you actually going to help them find the star maps, General?” Niks asked. 

“I don’t need to find the maps Niks as I already know where the Star Forge is, but while I play along with the search I gain more of their trust for when I reveal my true identity or it gets revealed another way and having a core group for what comes next is going to be important,” Revan explained. “Until I met you here, I had no idea if any of my people have survived Malak’s purge as I’m sure there was one once he had believed me dead,” he spat, his tone suddenly going cold sending a shiver up Bastila’s spine. 

“There was General, but you had already made it clear what those of us loyal to you and our true mission were to do if Malak turned. We fled as the purge started, heading to the rendezvous point you had told us to head to,” Jarrik spoke up after downing his entire drink, something Bastila didn’t recognize. “Not everyone made it, some ships were lost as they tried to flee, or were just destroyed as your forces tried to gain control of them,” he continued with a dark look in his eyes. “It was a slaughter and Malak didn’t care how many he had to kill until he was certain all who were loyal to you were dead. Everyone who made it eventually arrived at the rendezvous point and that is where we have been waiting for you to return to us,” he stated. “We’ve kept our ears to the ground for any news of you, search parties were dispatched to keep an eye out, just in case you turned up on any of the major planets, especially those with the Star Maps on them,” he explained. 

“How many of you are there?” Bastila couldn’t help but ask, as she listened intently to their story and realized Revan wasn’t as alone as she had thought. If these three were any indication he still had many followers out there waiting for him.”

All three looked at Revan as if seeking his permission to answer her question. Revan turned and looked into Bastila’s eyes and could see the concern she felt at this turn of events. Before she had believed him to be on his own and reliant on her and the others in their group, as such he represented little danger to the Republic and the Jedi. But now she had just learned that a large group of his followers still lived and were waiting for him to return to them and lead them once more. That must, in her mind, make him a bigger threat no matter what he had already told her of his true mission, which was in fact to save the Republic and the Jedi from themselves and the True Sith which waited out beyond the Galactic Rim, although Bastila didn’t know that part just yet.

Bastila stared into Revan’s eyes and tried to convey her need to know this, in her mind, very important information. Finally she felt him lightly touch her mind to get a sense of how she felt. She didn’t fight his light probe. She had no intention of betraying him, but she was alarmed about this new twist and how it would affect a war she believed was already destructive enough without adding a third side to the mix. 

Revan was relieved this new information wasn’t making her think of betraying him to the council, and he supposed he could understand why she was alarmed to learn he still had some kind of force, including ships and men. She was concerned they may be as bad as the Sith who now followed Malak. She couldn’t know they were only the most loyal of his followers. Those who he knew without doubt were loyal to the cause they had sworn to complete. Those he knew would never turn as Malak and those who followed him had. 

“Tell her,” Revan finally said, turning back to his men so they could see he trusted Bastila with the information. 

“We don’t have a complete run down just yet, but from what we can gather of what we saw before we left we have close to one thousand ships gathered at the rendezvous point,” Melkor answered, knowing an order when he heard it. He just hoped the General’s trust in this Jedi was justified, but he guessed having a force bond with her helped in that regard. “That includes battleships, destroyers, fighters and carriers,” he added and almost smiled at the look of shock his answer caused to appear on the Jedi’s face. 

“W..What about ground forces?” Bastila inquired, doing her best to regain her sense of calm even as she was shocked there could still be so many ships that supported Revan. The council had no idea just how big Revan’s force must have been even before Malak betrayed him, or maybe even just before the fleet they led vanished into the outer rim. 

“We lost a lot of good people in the war and the purge didn’t help in that regard,” Niks growled in response as did the other two, the losses of their friends and allies was hitting them all hard. “Best we can tell we number at the least two to two and a half thousand men and women, three if we are optimistic,” he finally told her as he regained control of his emotions. 

Bastila felt the sudden coldness that answer caused in Revan’s mood, she felt his anger and regret as he realized just how many of his people he had lost. She felt a spike of terrible anger aimed directly at Malak. It was pure anger and hatred, but instead of filling her with dread she understood why it was there. The loss of so many people who had followed him, believed in him had to have hit him hard and any good leader would feel the loss, unless like Malak they had no heart and were nothing but uncaring murderers. This was in her view more proof Revan wasn’t as dark as the council had led her to believe, that there was still good in him and that what he had been telling her was true. 

+TR+

(Leviathan)

Malak almost looked up in alarm as he felt a cold slither of anger and hatred aimed at him slam into his force senses, the source had to be Revan. It was the first real proof he had that the Revan he had known before was still alive, that the Jedi had not succeeded in reprogramming his mind. If they had succeeded in erasing who he had once been, then why would he be feeling such anger and hatred towards him? It was clearly something he just learned or maybe his apprentice had actually captured Shan. That would be more to his personal agenda. He not only wanted to break Bastila Shan to ensure she used her battle meditation to aide in their conquest of the galaxy. He wanted personal revenge on the bitch for saving Revan when he had tried to kill him, plus defiling the woman who was clearly the focus of Revan’s lust would make his victory all the sweeter for him. It would cause Revan untold pain. He ignored the small voice at the back of his mind that warned against angering Revan too much. The pulse from Revan quickly faded, stopping him from trying to use the force to attempt to locate him. Still in time the woman would be his, of that he had no doubt as Bandon knew better than to fail him. 

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Vima’s eyes snapped open as she felt a shift in the force, powerful and centered exactly where Bastila and her team were on Tatoonie. It was Revan. It had to be which meant the council had failed to eliminate his mind. How she had no clue, the entire council had been part of the attempt and with their combined powers it should have worked. Her first instinct was to warn her fellow council members, but then she remembered the fact that her daughter was missing and the council had refused to allow her to try and find out what had happened to her and to the team she led. Revan had been friends with Ari, and it was one of his bases they had been sent to investigate. He would be the perfect person to go and find out what might have befallen her daughter and her team. That is if she was right and what she had just sensed had indeed signaled Revan’s continued existence. But she would have to be careful. Her fellow council members wouldn’t take her keeping this suspicion to herself all in the name of trying to help her daughter very well. 

She would wait either for another sign or she sensed her daughter was in real danger before making contact with Revan. It wouldn’t do to jump the gun and possibly doom them all. She would take no risks where Ari was concerned. She just had to hope none of her fellow council members had sensed the same thing she had. 

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan finally managed to regain control of himself and push the surge of hatred and anger he felt aside, still it didn’t fully subside and he doubted it would anytime soon. He had led millions of men and women through the war and the losses had been huge, but it was clear they had lost even more than he had suspected in this new war he himself had started. He vowed their sacrifices wouldn’t be in vain, they would succeed in their mission and he would make Malak pay for those of his people he had killed in his damn purge. Never in the years he had known Alec had he ever thought he would one day become such a monster, the price they had paid for daring to try and use the Sith religion as a cover was now abundantly clear. 

“Rikka,” he all but growled. He had to know if his friend and aide had survived.

“Rikka is alive General, we had to all but drag her off the Revenge before it exploded as she was intent on finding your body if it was there,” Niks assured him, seeing the dangerous glint in Revan’s eyes which meant had the answer been negative he was sure someone here might have ended up in a world of pain. “She was in command of the fleet up until yesterday when we got word we found an old ally of higher rank to assume command until your return,” he told him. 

Revan frowned, wondering at the odd way of saying that. “Who?” he demanded to know. 

“General Surik,” Jarrik said with a smile. “She was strangely enough found on one of the planets our fleet orbits, at first she was thought to be a Republic spy and from the report we were sent Rikka went down with Kaz’oh to deal with them only to find it was Meetra Surik and Rikka quickly offered her command of the fleet. Now that Malak has betrayed you she is your closest friend and highest ranking serving soldier, even though she left us before we left for the outer rim,” he explained. “Her reputation and loyalty to you is well remembered in the fleet and her taking command was quickly accepted without any problems and it has, according to the message we got, revitalized our moral as some were beginning to think we’d never find you alive,” he added with some hesitancy at the end. 

“Finding General Surik has been taken as a sign we’d find you soon enough and here you are General,” Niks stated with a smirk. “It has to be the will of the force that you both are returned to us within a day of each other,” he added to which the other two nodded in agreement. 

Revan was so relieved to hear Rikka was still very much alive, even more so on hearing Meetra had been found. He had to agree with Niks, the force had to be involved in them both being found by his people right on the heels of each other. He tried not to let too much of what he was feeling flow through the bond. He didn’t want to give Bastila the impression he was in love with another woman. Although he still had very strong feelings for Meetra. He was in the middle of trying to win Bastila’s heart and thinking of his past lover wouldn’t help in that regard. 

Bastila was hit by multiple feelings through the bond as the three men talked about Meetra Surik. She knew the name of the woman who the council now called the Exile very well. Clearly she was the woman Revan had been thinking of as they landed on this planet, once again she was hit by the feelings of loss and love, now however there was also happiness and anticipation. Clearly there was more to the story of Revan and Surik that anyone knew. She frowned at being unable to fight off the pang of jealously she once again felt as she realized this. 

‘Damn it, why do I care?’ she thought to herself while doing her best to keep anything of what she was feeling from leaking through the bond to Revan.

“General, you are coming back to the fleet, aren’t you, now that we’ve found you?” Melkor asked, jolting both Revan and Bastila from their inner thoughts. 

“Not just yet. We’ve got work to do here, but once we are done then I will bring my team to the fleet,” Revan responded, shaking of his confused thoughts and feelings. “Melkor, I want you to take your shuttle and head back to the fleet to tell them you’ve found me. I also want you to explain my companions are all under my protection and are not to be treated with anything less than the respect any of my people are to be given,” he ordered with a hard glare at Melkor.

“Even the Mandaloorian?” Melkor asked in surprise.

“Yes even him. Canderous is not one of Fett’s people,” Revan answered calmly. “He is a soldier who kept his honor during the war. Had he seen Fett at any point after the Cathar massacre he would have ripped his heart out for the dishonor his actions brought down on the rest of their people,” he explained. 

“Can he be trusted, for that matter can the Jedi in your party and the Republic flyboy be trusted?” Jarrik inquired with genuine curiosity. “They clearly don’t know who you really are. Can you honestly say General once they do know they won’t go running back to the Republic and the Jedi and tell them?” he asked. 

Revan didn’t answer straight away. Instead he downed what was left of his drink, then glanced back to where Carth, Canderous and the others sat at the two tables just behind them. All of them were drinking and talking, but you could see they were also keeping a close eye out for any possible attacks. He watched them one at a time and wondered what would happen once they knew who he really was. Carth especially wouldn’t be so easy to convince to keep the truth to himself, considering how he felt about Malak and those under his command especially Saul Karath. He doubted that learning he was traveling with the man who had once led them would help him keep his cool. He would have to ensure that when his true identity was revealed he kept a close eye on Carth. 

“Perhaps not all of them, but I still trust them to help me stop Malak,” Revan finally answered and turned back to face them. “One of the Jedi already knows the truth as does Bastila and both have sworn to keep it secret, that they have done so proves they can be trusted,” he mused. “You have your orders Melkor, tell them to get the fleet ready to move,” he ordered. “We have a mission to complete, but keep your guard up we can ill afford for the Republic or the Sith to find out we still exist as a fighting force. Is that clear?” he asked. 

“I understand General,” Melkor assured him with a nod before getting to his feet as Revan dropped the force barrier. “Do you have any other messages you want me to covey Jaks?” he asked, slipping back into using Revan’s cover name with ease. 

“Just tell them I will see them soon and that they are not to take any risks until I get back,” Revan responded. 

Melkor nodded and quickly turned and left the cantina, he felt a surge of adrenaline as he fully came to accept that Revan was really still alive and would soon take command once more. Once that news spread through the fleet he knew any drop in morale that still existed would be wiped out. 

“What do you want us to do?” Jarrik inquired as he watched Melkor depart. 

“You will join my team in our work here. We have to deal with the sand people as well as find the Star Map hidden on this planet,” Revan answered, as he knew that now that the force barrier was down the others could hear what they were saying. “But first Bastila and I have someone else to meet here, so stay here and keep an eye out for anymore Sith,” he added, before getting up and waiting for Bastila to join them. 

Bastila suddenly realized what Revan meant by that, she had almost forgotten about having to see her mother. She had to fight the conflicting emotions she felt at having to see her after so many years. She had no clue what she would say to her, but she doubted her mother would be able to say anything she truly wanted to hear. She felt Revan’s hand affix itself to the small of her back and begin to lead her away from the table and to the end of the bar. She could already see the shadow of her mother at the far end, her body hidden by an overhanging ceiling. She took a deep breath and hoped the meeting would at least be cordial, she focused on Revan’s hand on the small of her back and found it helped her to focus herself while trying to ignore the pleasure she felt at the contact.  
14\. Chapter 14  
(Jedi Temple)

Atris sat listening to Vrook as he detailed which of the Jedi holocrons were to be moved to her secret enclave on Telos. She had to fight hard to keep from smiling as he spoke. The council was actually thinking of moving some of the captured Sith holocrons as well as their own. She had long desired to study the Sith holocrons so as to find what made it so seductive to Jedi. The losses they had sustained in the many wars had hurt the Jedi badly, but most of the latest wars against the Sith had been caused by Jedi falling to the dark side. She was certain there was something, the Jedi were missing, some secret to why so many Jedi had fallen of late, in those holocrons. 

Only a select few Jedi were allowed to access the Sith holocrons and she had sadly never been one of them, even with her seat on the council she had been denied access whenever she had asked for it. That had always annoyed her, but now she was given a chance, she had of course promised to lock up the holocrons and not to try and study them, but she had no intention of actually keeping to that promise. It was dangerous she knew, but to ensure the Jedi survived after they had gotten rid of Malak and the rest of the Sith, she believed it to be worth the risk. 

“You’re been given a very huge responsibility I hope you realize that Atris?” Vrook said after he had finished going through the list breaking into Atris’s inner thoughts.

“Of course I realize that Master Vrook. I will ensure all the holocrons are safely hidden away where no one can find them,” Atris assured him as best as she could, but she noted a slight skeptical look in her fellow Jedi’s eyes. “I assure you Vrook no one will have access to the holocrons but me, and I have little interest in studying them,” she told him. 

“See that you don’t Atris,” Vrook shot back with narrowed eyes still unsure if they were doing the right thing here. To have so many Sith holocrons under her control would be a great temptation he knew, but he had some confidence in Atris’s ability to resist that temptation as after all she was a fellow council member. “We’ve lost enough Jedi to the dark side of late, I’d hate to see you become one more,” he added before he turned and left. 

Atris finally gave into her urge to smile as she headed for her quarters, within the next hour or two the ship she would take back to Telos would be loaded with the holocrons and then she could leave the close scrutiny of her fellow Jedi, where she could study the holocrons at her leisure. 

+TR+

(Tatoonie, cantina)

Revan guided Bastila right to the chair where her mother was sitting with her back to them, she had taken no notice of their presence as of yet. He glanced at Bastila and noticed how nervous she seemed to be, but through the bond he could feel the confused mass of anger, expectation and fear Bastila was feeling. He hoped this meeting would go somewhat smoothly, he needed Bastila to be at her best once they headed to the fleet. It was why he intended to ensure she met with her mother, otherwise it would be always preying on her mind. 

“Mrs. Shan,” Revan finally said, making the other woman spin around in her chair while Bastila moved just behind Revan so as to hide herself from her mother’s sight, thus buying herself some more time to prepare for this meeting. 

“Yes can I help you young man?” Helena Shan inquired as she looked at the imposing man who had just called her name out.

“I’m here in response to your request to locate your daughter,” Revan responded before side stepping quickly enough so as not to give away his intention to Bastila who was caught off guard and left exposed to her mother’s eyes at last. 

“B..Bastila?” Helena inquired as she finally took note of the young woman now in her line of sight. Unsure whether the person she was seeing was really her daughter, the daughter she hadn’t seen since she was a child and had been given over to the Jedi.

“Yes mother it is me,” Bastila finally said with a sigh, knowing she could put this meeting off no longer. “Or don’t you recognize me?” she added almost sarcastically making Revan wince a little. 

The sarcasm in Bastila’s tone set Helena on edge as it sounded more like an accusation. “Well how do you expect me to recognize you when I’ve not seen you or even had a picture of you in fifteen years?” she demanded angrily and with a slight huff. 

“Why did you request to see me mother?” Bastila inquired deciding not to get into an argument about the past. “And where is father?” she suddenly demanded as the absence of her father suddenly struck her. 

Helena froze as the question was asked and she seemed to slump into her chair as she considered how to tell Bastila the truth. It was a truth she was still struggling to come to terms with herself. Her husband Kieran was dead, killed only weeks ago while trying to hunt down a Krayt Dragon and collect the pearls found in their corpses so as to pay for her growing medical bills. 

“Where is my father?” Bastila demanded a bit more forcibly and moved to step into her mother’s personal space, but was stopped by Revan who gently pulled her back. 

Revan already had a bad feeling as to the answer to this particular question, and he feared just how badly Bastila would react to the answer when it was given. It would be a great challenge for her to not only face the anger and grief it would cause, but it would be one of the defining moments of her life, he was sure. He just hoped she could indeed face it and overcome the anger and grief before it consumed her, she wouldn’t be the first he had seen fall due to such factors. 

“Your father is dead Bastila,” Helena finally admitted in a pained whisper, her grief shown within her eyes. 

“Nooo,” Bastila groaned as her control over her emotions went haywire. She felt Revan’s grip on her arm tighten somewhat as he felt the backlash, but right then she didn’t care. “What did you do to him? What insane task did you give him that got him killed?” she demanded to know in a heated and accusing tone. 

“I did nothing Bastila, I loved him,” Helena argued in protest. “I argued against him taking the job, but he was insistent because we had run out of credits. I’m dying Bastila and to try and help me Kail has been taking me to doctors all over the place. He was hoping to find some Krayt dragon pearls to pay for a trip to Manaan,” she explained. “I begged him not to go that I had a bad feeling, but he refused to listen. He joined a party of ten and only three returned alive to tell me what had happened,” she went on, her grief becoming more obvious as she spoke. “Since then I’ve been trying to find you, asking anyone I could find if they knew where you were. I guess I lucked out somewhere because here you are,” she added. “I didn’t want to die without seeing you one more time and explaining what had happened. I didn’t want to see you blame me for your father’s death,” she stated.

Bastila stared at her mother who was trying to fight breaking down and crying openly in the cantina. She could hear the grief in her mother’s tone and see it in her eyes, but that did nothing to help quell the storm of emotions going on within her. She closed her eyes and tried to use every meditation exercise the Jedi had taught her to calm herself down. She could feel Revan’s unease as she fought to control herself. She knew he feared she could lose control and fall just as easily as any Jedi before her when faced with such turmoil. She knew this was one of the reasons why the council always tried to get their students to always be in control. She now saw just how easy it could be to give into the darker side of one’s personality, saw how easy it was to have one’s control be overwhelmed by powerful emotions stirred by events one faced. Slowly she forced back the anger and resentment, she set aside the grief knowing there would be time later to weep for the loss of her father. Finally after what seemed like an eternity Bastila found her control returning, her emotions finally under control. 

Revan let out a sigh of relief as Bastila mastered herself after what had seemed like a long struggle, but in reality had only been a few moments. Still he knew just how much could change in so little time. Bastila had passed the test, she had fought to control herself and resist the urge to simply give into the madness of her emotions that would have led her down the path to the dark side as easily as any other path to it. 

“What do you mean you are dying?” Bastila finally asked after a lengthy silence. 

“I have the Krillik fever Bastila and more often than not it is fatal without the best treatment,” Helena answered. “That is why Kail was hoping to take me to Manaan. It has some of the best doctors in the inner core, but they are expensive,” she pointed out. “Now it seems we are fated to both die here on his ball of sand,” she said bitterly. “I had hoped if I was to die it would be with Kail at my side which is why I begged him not to go. I didn’t want him risking himself for me on something that may not even help me, but he ignored me and was desperate to get us there,” she continued before trailing off and going silent herself. 

“Is that the only reason you were looking for me mother?” Bastila inquired, her tone belaying some doubt as to the truth of her mother’s story.

“No Bastila, I want you to recover you father’s body and bring it back so he can be buried and I want you to recover his Holocron,” Helena admitted. “It is the only thing left of Kail and I wish to view it one more time and remember him,” she added almost in a whisper. 

Bastila once more felt a spike of emotion at this, but this time she quickly stamped it out, she reached out with the force and scanned her mother and quickly located a mass of darkness in her aura, showing her mother was telling the truth that she was ill and badly at that. She glanced at Revan and noted he was watching quietly, but nodded his head to indicate he would be willing to help in this matter. That sent a tingle of pleasure through her that helped push back the urge to scream at her mother, just to vent some of the darker emotions she had just barely managed to control. 

“We will do as you ask mother,” Bastila finally said. “We will discuss what happened and your illness when we return,” she added.

“But before we leave I must impress on you Mrs. Shan you can’t allow anyone here to learn you are related to Bastila,” Revan finally spoke up. “We are on a dangerous mission and the Sith hunt your daughter. If they learn you are here they will not think twice of capturing you to lure her into a trap,” he explained at her look of surprise. “Carth, Jarrik,” he called out and were soon joined by the two. 

“What’s up?” Carth inquired. 

“This is Bastila’s mother. I need you to go to the local black market shop and buy her a false identity chip and background profile,” Revan responded as quietly as possible so they were not overheard. “Pay what you have to and I will pay you back, this is important Carth as the Sith cannot learn of her being here,” he warned when the pilot went to object. “She is the perfect kind of bait Malak would need to lure Bastila into a trap and you know it,” he pointed out. “Jarrik will watch your back, you can trust him,” he assured him. 

Carth wanted to argue, but he knew the younger man was correct. If Malak got a hold of Helena he would use it to lure Bastila into a trap, which she more than likely would walk right into to protect her mother. 

“Alright, we’ll be back soon,” Carth agreed.

“We can’t wait. Juhani and T3 will remain here to keep an eye on her and when you get back stay with them and back them up,” Revan shot back. “We will be back as soon as possible,” he added before turning back to Helena. “I take it you understand the seriousness of what we’ve said?” he inquired. 

“I do indeed young man,” Helena shot back, wondering why the Sith were hunting her daughter and feeling a shiver run up her spine at the idea of falling into their hands and then being used to trap her daughter. It was a horrifying thought. 

“Good, we’ll be back soon enough, do not leave the cantina, two of my people will guard you and when Carth and Jarrik return they will stay as well, that should prove ample protection,” Revan assured her before he turned and began to lead Bastila back to the where the others now stood as Carth and Jarrik left the cantina. “Juhani, you and T3 will remain here and guard Mrs. Shan and when Carth and Jarrik return they will help. Don’t let her out of your sight. Do you understand?” he asked after a brief explanation of the plan.

“I understand Jaks, it is possible the Sith were drawn here not to keep an eye out for us, but due to Mrs. Shan’s presence as she was asking about Bastila to people who might have seen her,” Juhani mused aloud. She didn’t like being left behind, but she understood why it was necessary. “It isn’t a stretch of the imagination to assume they heard of this and decided to investigate,” she added. 

“Agreed, keep on your guard even when Carth and Jarrik return, as there may be more Sith on this planet than we know about,” Revan warned before he led the rest of the group out of the cantina. 

+TR+

(Sith’s Wrath)

Darth Bandon stood behind the two pilot chairs as he watched his ship come out of hyperspeed over the planet of Korriban. He felt it unlikely Revan and his team would come here before getting the other Star Maps, but this would be where he would stage his ambush of them. Here he had the advantage, the planet was bathed in the dark side of the force and that would give him the upper hand when he finally had his revenge on Revan. Plus it wouldn’t hurt to get the academy ready for their arrival and to ensure the academy Master was doing his job. 

“We have landing clearance my Lord,” one of the pilots stated calmly. 

“Good bring us in and slowly. I want to have a good look over the academy grounds and the tombs,” Bandon ordered as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Yes my Lord,” the pilot responded with a nod of his head. 

Bandon kept his eyes glued to the windows of the ship as it entered the atmosphere before breaking through and began to fly over the tombs in the great valley of the Dark Lords, and then the ship flew over the academy grounds before headed for the landing platform. 

“Prepare for landing,” the second pilot shouted out so the rest of the people on the ship could get to their seats and strap themselves in. Bandon did the same with the chair located just behind the pilot’s chairs. It was a rough landing thanks to the heavy wind the planet was usually subjected too, but after a few tense seconds for the pilots they felt the ship touchdown. Both knew any mistake would lead to their deaths where Bandon was concerned; the man was a crazed killer who cared little for those under his command. “We’re down,” he finally said. 

“Good,” Bandon replied as he unstrapped himself and stood up before unleashing a short barrage of force lightening on the second pilot just for the hell of it. “Next time don’t take so long,” he snapped before he turned and left the bridge leaving the second pilot gasping in pain and the first fearing he would suffer the same at some point in the future. 

Bandon led his ambush squad down the ramp and was angered that he was not met by the Academy Master himself, his ship had sent a coded transmission to advise them he was coming and yet no one was here to meet him. This angered him and he promised to ensure before he left the man in charge of this academy would learn to respect him. A smirk graced his features as he entered the space port that connected to the academy that was run by their Czerka allies. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra ran the hot soapy water over her body feeling tired after a long day, keeping the fleet together and the moral of the men and women in it high was taxing and she had to give Rikka even more credit for having dealt with it far longer than she had. Her return had done a lot to boost morale, but until Revan was found she doubted it would return to what it had once been. She just prayed that when they did find him he was still himself and that the Jedi hadn’t destroyed his mind. That was the one fear she couldn’t dismiss easily and she knew it had to be praying on Rikka’s mind as well since she had raised the subject with her. Leaning her head against the shower wall as the water rinsed the soap off her body she wondered what she would do if Revan had been altered by the Jedi. Narrowing her eyes it didn’t take long for the answer to come to her, she would ensure Atris and her ilk would regret it before she killed them. Stepping out of the shower she grabbed the nearby towel and began to dry herself off. For now the focus was on Malak and when they came face to face she would ensure the fool learned the folly of betraying Revan and the cause before Revan himself put him out of his misery. Climbing into her bed after putting on her nightgown she closed her eyes and hoped the next day would be somewhat easier. Smirking she somehow doubted it.

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan led his now smaller group across the city keeping a close eye out for any more Sith, but also made sure to monitor Bastila. For now she was staying in control, but he knew a time would come where she would have to vent the emotions she was suppressing or they would consume her, contrary to what the Jedi liked to teach. 

“If we are going to be dealing with the Sand People kid we are going to need an interpreter droid,” Jolee advised as they went.

“Good point,” Revan agreed as he came to a stop and looked around. “We’ll check those shops over there, they look like the kind of ones we can buy things like droids and speeders,” he suggested before moving off again. 

“Do you think the Sand People will be easy to convince to stop attack the city?” Mission inquired from beside Zaalbar. 

“Not really, they are a very aggressive people,” Jolee responded with a grunt of dislike. “They don’t like people pouching on what they consider their territory,” he told her. 

“But they can be reasoned with, right?” Mission insisted with a worried expression.

“Yes they can, but it is no easy thing to come to an agreement with them,” Revan replied with a humorous smile at the young Twi-Lek, which did nothing to improve her worry. 

“This looks like the place,” Bastila pointed out to an old run down storefront with a multitude of droids on the outside. Most looked broken, but it was a clear indication as to the nature of the shop. 

“Wait here, we’ll be back shortly,” Revan ordered as he pushed open the door and then indicated Bastila to enter first, which she did before he followed.

“I’m getting sick of being left outside,” Mission grumbled as she leaned against a post. 

“He doesn’t mean anything by it kid,” Jolee assured her with a smile. “He is just a bit preoccupied right now,” he explained as she looked at him. “You wouldn’t be here if he didn’t value you as a person, so just relax because where we are going there will be plenty for us all to do,” he stated, which made Mission and the others worry slightly at his ominous tone.  
15\. Chapter 15  
Chapter 15

(Jedi Temple) 

Jedi Master Zhar sighed as he stepped off the transport that had brought him and Master Vandar to the temple on Corusant from the enclave on Dantoonie. The order to evacuate had come much to their surprise even after Dantoonie had been reinforced after a warning from Bastila Shan about a possible attack by the Sith. Master Dorak had refused to leave, and Master Vrook Lamar had left days before to consult with the rest of the council about moving the holocrons to a safer hiding place in case things took a turn for the worst. He didn’t agree that evacuating the enclave had been a wise move by the council. It might convince some in the Republic that the Jedi were scared. Moral was becoming an issue even with the successful assault that led to the removal of Revan from the head of the Sith fleet. He wondered how it would affect them if the Republic and their fellow Jedi knew the truth of where Revan was now. 

He had agreed at first that wiping his former pupils mind had been the only option open to them to find the secret of the Sith’s dominance, it had worked and now Revan was once more a loyal Jedi eager to fight his unknown former comrades. Yet as time passed and he had interacted with the mind wiped Jedi, he had begun to feel guilt for his role in basically committing murder to get what they wanted. They had told Bastila Shan that the damage to his mind was too great to be healed, but that had been a lie to cover up the truth of what they were going to do to Revan. It had gone against everything the Jedi taught to do what they had done, but the council had deemed it necessary and perhaps they were right, but he was beginning to doubt how many more compromises the Jedi could make in this war before they were changed beyond all recognition. ‘Was he right to begin to question his fellow council members actions out of his growing guilt, had there really been no other way?’ he continued to ask himself.

“Where is Master Dorak?” Vrook inquired as he arrived to meet them. 

“Refused to leave he did,” Vandar responded with a tired sigh. “Believed he did one of us should remain to lead the remaining Jedi on Dantoonie and coordinate the defence of the planet,” he added.

“If the attack is going to be as bad as Bastila believes what hope does he have of successfully defending the planet?” Vrook demanded in surprise. 

“He more than likely knows it is impossible, but he believed it was his responsibility to try,” Zhar responded. “His actions are to be applauded, and it will prove we aren’t afraid to meet our foe in such circumstances,” he stated more boldly than he felt. 

Vrook did not look convinced, but held his tongue as he turned and led them from the hangar towards the council chamber. Many Jedi passed them as they went clearly in a hurry. Zhar wondered what would happen if Dantoonie was attacked, it would be a heavy blow for both the Jedi and the Republic. Entering the chamber he looked around and noted all but Vima Sunrider looked alert and focused. He looked more closely and noted she looked distracted and conflicted, but as she noted his scrutiny she quickly adopted a more focused look. He took his seat as did Vandar. The Grand Master of the council, Zirrik Ladon, called them to order. Zirrik was old and nearing the end of his life, he would soon step down and appoint his successor who much believed would be either Vandar or Atris and the least likely would be Vrook Lamar himself. All three had been taking on more and more of his duties as time passed, the stress the war had placed on him had not helped Zirrik in the least. 

“We are all here now except for Dorak who has elected to remain on Dantoonie, the war is going badly for us all,” Zirrik began before breaking out into a cough, but quickly regained control. “His council will be missed,” he stated sadly. “After consultation with the Supreme Chancellor we have agreed to pull back and consolidate our forces, we are stretched thin and Malak and his forces continue to advance on all fronts,” he informed them, his expression growing dark. “Many will see this as a mistake on our part, as a weakness, but we have little choice right now,” he continued. “We have lost many Jedi in recent months and can ill afford to throw away more. We must build up our forces as much as we can until Bastila Shan and her party can locate the true source of the Sith’s superior power,” he went on before Atris interrupted him. 

“We should not relay on the girl and her team, especially as Revan, no matter how mind wiped, is a part of it,” Atris snapped heatedly. “His very presence can corrupt them all. How do we know that even now Bastila is not falling under his spell?” she demanded, sounding somewhat paranoid.

“We’ve had this discussion before Atris, Revan is gone,” Vima argued, but as Zhar looked at her he noted her eyes belayed her statement and he wondered if she too had doubts about this subject or knew something they did not. “You remain fixed on him just as Vrook does and it does none of us any good, and you cast suspicion on Bastila Shan and her abilities,” she argued. “We all agreed to place her with the mind wiped Revan so as to draw out whatever memories remained in his mind, it was the only way to learn what it was Revan and Malak found that has made them so strong,” she reminded them all. “She has backup in the form of Juhani,” but here she was cut off. 

“Another failure on our part as the Cathar not only was rescued by Revan as a child, but brought to us to be trained, and what happened oh yes she fell to the dark side,” Atris exploded in anger as she stood and began to pace. “That Revan supposedly returned her to the light is in my mind suspicious. If any part of Revan still exists then I cast doubts on Juhani’s ability not to believe she owes him some kind of debt he can exploit,” she stated. 

“Here I must agree with Atris, granting Juhani’s request to go with Bastila and the reprogrammed Revan was a mistake especially if he ever regains the knowledge of who he once was,” Vrook spoke up with a dark look in his eyes. 

“That is impossible Vrook, the combined powers of the entire council were used to wipe his mind,” Master Kavar reminded him, speaking for the first time. “I see no way he could ever have survived such an ordeal, Revan may have been one of the most powerful Jedi and Sith to walk the galaxy, but even he is no match for the combined powers of the council,” he stated in total belief as he leaned back in his chair. “No we no longer have to fear anything from him, he can’t influence Bastila or Malak or even Juhani any longer,” he added confidently and again Zhar could see doubt in Vima’s eyes as this was said. 

“Revan may be gone, but that does not mean his ability to influence people doesn’t still exist inside Jaks Toulon, or that the very thing that led Revan to the darkside doesn’t still exist within the mind of the man we replaced Revan with,” Master Zez-Kai Ell pointed out with a troubled frown. “No, I agree there is cause for concern with how long Bastila Shan stays in his presence enhanced as it would be by their bond, perhaps it would be best to recall her once they have found the star map on Tatoonie, just so we can ensure she hasn’t begun to question us due to the bond they share,” he suggested. “And we can take a measure of Jaks Toulon and ensure he remains under our control,” he continued as he looked at his fellow councilors. 

“I agree,” Vrook said with a nod of his head which was echoed by Atris, Vandar, Zez and Master Zarrik. “It is the only way we can ensure we don’t lose our only hope of stopping Malak,” he warned them all. 

“While being cautious is prudent and ensuring Bastila Shan is not overly affected by her bond with the man that used to be Revan, can we waste what little time we have to stop Malak in bringing her back to Corusant to check up on her?” Master Lonna Vash inquired causing everyone to turn and look at her. “Malak and his forces advance on all fronts and we are barely holding the line as it is, even with us falling back to consolidate our forces, time is against us so I ask again do we waste what little time we do have on this idea of Master Zez?” she asked again. 

“You are not taking the threat of Bastila Shan falling to the dark side seriously enough Vash,” Vrook sneered immediately. 

“And you are taking it far too seriously Vrook,” Lonna responded tightly. “Bastila Shan knows her duty and just how much rests on her shoulders better than you think,” she said confidently. “She would alert us immediately if by some miracle of the force Revan survived what we did to him, she would also seek our council if she began to suspect aspects of Revan remained in the man we created within him and was affecting those in their group including herself,” she stated boldly. 

“Agree I do with Master Vash,” Vandar finally spoke up having stayed quiet during the entire argument. “Immense belief in the council Bastila has, strong in the light side she is,” he added with a thoughtful look in his eyes. 

“But can that not be tainted by being joined through the force to whatever is left of Revan?” Atris questioned, unwilling to let this go so easily. “I have grave concerns which are clearly felt by others in the council,” she pointed out. 

“Enough,” Zirrik finally said, although his raised voice didn’t carry much through the council chamber. “I believe Vandar has said what has needed to be said. Bastila will not fail us,” he concluded with a pointed look at Atris and then at Vrook. “I also agree with Master Vash that we can ill afford to keep pulling Bastila and her team back here to check on them, we are barely holding Malak and his forces back as it is and with our recent losses and an imminent attack on Dantoonie sure to come, time is slowly running out for us,” he told them all. “The quicker Bastila completes her mission and finds the source of Malak’s strength, this so called Star Forge, the better our chances will be of surviving and winning this war,” he continued. “All our efforts for now should be focused on holding our new defensive line at all cost,” he finished. 

“You’re making a mistake Zirrik,” Vrook stated coldly as he glared at the old man. He knew it was not entirely his fault more his age was making him more fallible. “I sense far more danger in our supposed puppet than you and most of the council believe possible,” he spat before he stood up and exited the chamber with Atris and Zez following him. 

“This isn’t good,” Kavar said with a shake of his head. “Never before has this council been so divided, perhaps we would have been better off had Revan and Malak both died before the Mandalorian War ended,” he admitted with a tired sigh. 

“That thought is not worthy of a Jedi Kavar,” Vima stated with a slight glare. “Revan and Malak’s leadership is all that saved the Republic and the Jedi from annihilation, they were great men, Jedi and superb leaders,” she stated. “What we fail to admit is that their fall may not have had anything to do with the war at all, that something else was responsible for them becoming Sith,” she suggested. “If you will recall, we all sensed something dark on the edges of our senses when the war began. Something we believed might be pushing the Mandalorians into attacking us,” she reminded the remaining council members.

“Yes we counseled Revan on that fact, but he ignored us,” Zirrik agreed with a nod of his head. 

“And maybe that was his greatest mistake,” Vima responded with a troubled look. “Not going to war as we know had they not gone we would have lost the war, our inaction was wrong,” she paused as if deciding what to say. “No, his mistake was ignoring the possibility of something else being involved, something far more evil than the threat brought by the Mandalorians,” she concluded. 

“And you think this is what truly corrupted them?” Lonna inquired with a raised eyebrow. 

“Even if it is what corrupted him then it changes little of what we face right now,” Kavar argued. “Revan is dealt with, but the chaos he has unleashed hasn’t been stopped, until Malak and his forces are defeated neither the Jedi nor the Republic will be safe and even remotely being sympathetic to Revan and Malak is a fools mistake Vima,” he stated coldly at his fellow council member. 

Vima shook her head and got up and left the chamber herself. Zhar quickly followed, knowing there was little left to say and that the council was over. The others soon followed leaving Zirrik sitting by himself. The old man was tired and fearful of how the future would play out. His health was growing worse and soon he would have no choice but to step down, but he feared doing that just in case Atris or Vrook were voted in to replace him. Neither had the temperament to act impartially, to not allow themselves to be influenced by their own emotions. He wasn’t fool enough to not notice that even some of the council members were having trouble truly suppressing their emotions of late, another sad effect of wars on the Jedi. 

+TR+

(Tatoonie, Yuka Laka Droid Shop)

Revan entered the shop with Bastila right behind him. His eyes scanned the shop and quickly fell on the Ithorian who owned it. He didn’t like the look of him, he seemed a little shifty. But then most shop keepers he had met seemed to have the same trait, their main interest was earning a lot of credits by any means necessary. 

“Welcome, welcome to my humble shop I am Yuka Laka,” the Ithorian introduced himself as he welcomed them inside. “How may I help you today?” he added. 

“We need a translator droid able to deal with the Sand People,” Revan answered as he folded his arms across his chest. “It has to be a decent droid and not one that is liable to break down on us during the negotiations. If that is what happens I will be back to thank you for your services. Do we understand one another?” he added in a warning tone. 

Yuka Laka stepped back a little in fear at the glare on the human’s face. “I understand sir, all of my droids are of the very best quality I assure you,” he stammered out.

Bastila decided to not to intervene as she knew Revan had been on to many planets and had probably dealt with a lot of shop keepers, some who she would guess had not been too honest in their dealings. She didn’t exactly like the threatening attitude he was taking, but she understood why he was doing it. They could ill afford to have a droid that would break down during their discussions with the Sand People. If it did it could lead to a fight that could lead the Sand People into escalating their attacks on the Settlers. 

“Please look around I have many droids here, including some very good translator droids,” Yuka Laka finally stated having regained a little confidence as Revan backed off. 

Revan nodded and began to look around the shop, it was not exactly a big shop, but then there were not many big shops in Anchorhead. Finally he turned his attention to the far corner and was shocked as he recognized the battered copper form of his former personal assassin droid. How HK-47 had ended up here was unknown to him as he had been lost during his final mission before his supposed capture by the Jedi. He quickly headed towards his creation, the damage HK had sustained was bad and he hoped his codes to access HK’s full abilities were still operational. 

“Er..if I may you would not like this droid,” Yuka Laka protested as he noted where Revan and Bastila were headed. “This droid is old and useless,” he began to add before he went silent as Revan turned and glared darkly at him.

“Silence, do not insult my creation,” Revan warned him, surprising Bastila as he claimed ownership of the droid they were now standing in front of.

“Your creation?” Bastila inquired with interest as she looked the droid over and was surprised to note the droid was studying her in return. 

“Yes, I built this droid with my own two hands, this is HK-47,” Revan answered with a smile. 

“Statement: Do I know you?” HK finally spoke up.

“Yes HK, you know me, I created you, but clearly you’ve sustained heavy damage and your memory is still blocked as per standard mission protocol,” Revan answered as he studied his droid. 

“Pleased Statement: I am most happy to meet you Master, please rescue me from this incompetent meat bag shop keeper who’s attempts at repairs have only added to the damage I have sustained,” HK responded. 

“Meat Bag?” Bastila asked in surprise, causing Revan to break out laughing at the look on her face.

“Explanation: You are human and have multiple squishy parts which are filled with water so hence meat bag,” HK answered as his eyes glowed, making Revan laugh all the more as Bastila’s look turned to one of outrage. 

“Why in the force did you program this droid to insult people so?” Bastila finally demanded turning to the now grinning Revan. 

“I didn’t, the day I introduced him to Malak and Malak decided to insult him HK’s response was to call him a pompous bald meat bag,” Revan replied his grin widening he had left out the part of HK begging him to allow him to kill Malak as he doubted Bastila was ready to learn HK’s full purpose just yet. “Malak’s expression was hilarious, since then ‘meat bag’ has become HK’s signature taunt,” he explained as Bastila shook her head and tried not to imagine how Malak had taken being insulted so. “This droid is mine. I built him hence it is my property which you have gotten by illegal means, turn him over or suffer my wrath,” he threatened turning back to Yuka Laka and wiping the grin from his features as he turned. 

“I have no proof of that but your word, but in good faith and the hopes of you taking this foul droid of my hands, I will offer you a discount price of 2500 credits” Yuka Laka instantly protested. 

Revan was about to object, but Bastila’s expression stopped him and he nodded in agreement even if it galled him to agree just for her sake. Bastila let out a relieved sigh knowing this entire thing could have gotten out of hand fast. Revan had a temper which quickly showed itself during those times he lost control. Revan paid the Ithorian and quickly removed the restraining bolt latched onto HK’s chest plate to keep the droid under control; he saw more evidence of damage as checked out the other side of his droid. 

“Damn what the hell did you run into HK?” Revan inquired.

“Response: I do not remember Master, my memory of my last mission is curiously missing,” HK answered. 

“Do you remember me?” Revan questioned.

“Negative response: No Master, I do not,” HK answered after cocking his head sideways as he stared at Revan. 

“Override code 9995711a,” Revan spoke calmly and hoped the code to reactive HK’s memory would work. He watched as HK’s eyes seemed to glow even brighter as the droid processed the code through its circuits, Bastila watched from the side with curiosity. 

“Pleased statement: Code accepted Master, all memory restored bar that related to my last mission and my full capabilities are now once more at your command,” HK reported.

Revan frowned wondering if the memory of his last mission was missing due to damage to a particular memory chip, or if someone had managed to disable HK and mess around with his memory. That didn’t make for a pleasant thought, but it was not something he could investigate right now. 

“Excellent, follow us HK we have a mission to complete on this dust ball and then we can get back to fighting Malak,” Revan ordered as he headed for the door. “You will now have your chance to eliminate the bald meat bag, Malak is the enemy now and so are any who follow him,” he added. 

“Words cannot express my pleasure at this knowledge Master. I will happily ensure the bald meat bag will suffer for his betrayal,” HK responded as it readied its weapon that was attached to its back. Bastila frowned wondering just what kind of droid this HK-47 was. 

Mission and Jolee looked up as Revan and Bastila exited the shop with a rather bust up looking droid. Mission however stepped back as she got the impression this droid was dangerous. Canderous backed away from the droid for an instant as a flash of memory hit him, he was certain he had seen this particular droid during the war. Revan had once had a personal assassin droid that did his bidding. It had been seen by many during the later stages of the Mandalorian War and he had seen it first hand during the second to last battle of the war before his people had been brought low by Revan. ‘But if this was the same droid what was it doing here?’ he thought and swore to himself not to turn his back on this particular droid anytime soon. 

Niks was startled to see HK-47 follow Revan out of the store, but quickly regained control of himself so as not to give himself away, this had to be an even greater sign that soon the Revan Revanchists would have first their revenge against Malak then they would finally complete their mission of saving the Republic from the threat of the True Sith. 

“Now let’s go see the Sand People and hope they are in a talkative mood,” Revan said with a crooked smile. The others nodded and followed after him, Canderous brought up the rear, but every now and then he’d glance at the droid and wondered if it was possible Revan was still alive, considering his droid was.

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra groaned as she was brought sharply awake by the blaring alarm, Rikka’s voice quickly replaced the alarm. Knowing Rikka wouldn’t have woken her if it wasn’t important she reached out and hit the button to activate the comm, she hoped at least it was some good news. 

“Sorry to wake you General, but one of our shuttles has returned, it was sent to keep an eye out for Revan on Tatoonie,” Rikka reported. 

“Then why has it come back?” Meetra inquired tiredly. 

“Melkor reports they found him, but refuses to tell us anything else over the comm,” Rikka answered sounding breathless in anticipation. 

Meetra’s eyes opened in shock before any tiredness she felt quickly evaporated. Jumping out of bed she reached for her armor and began to get dressed. 

“Tell Melkor to land as soon as possible and then report to me on the bridge, if he has found Revan we have plans to make,” Meetra ordered before she cut the channel and focused on what she was doing.

Once she was finished dressing she headed for the bridge, her replacement lightsaber hanging from her belt. She hit the bridge at a dead run to find Rikka and Melkor waiting for her, she frowned wondering where the rest of Melkor’s team was as she knew each team had been assigned three members.

“Tell us what you found on Tatoonie and explain where the rest of your team is,” Meetra ordered as she sat down and gave the man her full attention while Rikka stood behind her chair. 

“We found Revan and his companions almost straight away being ambushed by a Sith ambush squad. The Jedi Bastila Shan was knocked unconscious as was most of the others by a grenade and Revan was kept away by more Sith as their reinforcements moved in to capture Shan,” Melkor began easily as he stood to attention. “We engaged the Sith when Niks reminded us of the danger of her being captured and turned by Malak. We helped kill the rest of the Sith before Revan revealed himself to us,” he added before pausing briefly. “Revan is alive and well even after the Jedi council tried to wipe his entire mind. They failed thanks to the force protecting him,” he stopped his tale as he noted the looks of fury on both females faces at this piece of information and he almost felt sorry for any member of the council that ended up facing Rikka or General Surik. 

“They tried to murder him by erasing his personality, his memories?” Rikka all but growled almost consumed by hatred aimed at the Jedi council. 

“That is what he told us, but the force protected him,” Melkor responded with a nod of his head. He was more unnerved by Meetra’s cold silence than Rikka’s hot rage, the General sat still as a statue but her eyes flashed like two laser beams set to the most deadly setting. 

Meetra had to restrained herself from lashing out as Melkor told her what the council had tried to do to Revan, her blood boiled as she thought of the pain Revan must have suffered during their attempt at erasing his mind. ‘Damn them,’ she thought. She knew the council could be cold blooded after what they had done to her. She knew Jedi like Atris and Vrook would have liked to have punished her even more than they had. But this level of what she considered torture and attempted murder was beyond what she thought them capable of, it made her wonder just how much this new war had affected the council and the Jedi as a whole. Although that didn’t excuse what they had tried to do to Revan. ‘They would pay for this,’ she swore. 

“Damn them,” Rikka cursed. 

“Continue your report Melkor,” Meetra finally managed to say after forcing her anger down. 

“Yes General,” Melkor replied with a nod as he sensed the anger from both women settle somewhat, but he was not fool enough not to expect more on this at some point. The Jedi would pay somewhere down the line, of that he was certain. “He has pretended to be a loyal Republic solider and newly discovered Jedi, they supposedly retrained him and then sent him on a mission to find the Star Maps,” he stated. 

“So they know about the Star Forge?” Rikka asked interrupting him. 

“Not exactly, they know the stations name and that the Star Maps will lead them to it, but not what the station can do,” Melkor answered. “But they know it has to be both ours and Malak’s major advantage over them,” he informed them with certainty. “His companions are a loose group of people, including no less than four Jedi, one republic pilot, an Arkanian offshoot, one young Twi-Lek, one Wookiee, a droid and a Mandalorian,” he continued. “Only two of them know Revan survives including Bastila Shan. She had agreed to keep the secret as has the other Jedi who knows,” he went on before pausing as Meetra held up a hand for him to stop. 

“Shan knows Revan is still himself and yet has decided to hide this from the council, why?” Meetra inquired with interest. “All our reports on her show her to be a very loyal Jedi with supreme trust in the council’s judgment,” she pointed out. 

“It seems Bastila Shan shares a force bond with Revan,” Melkor informed them, knowing this was going to be another sore point as he well knew Meetra had once had a romantic relationship with Revan and he harbored no doubts she would want to restart it once he returned, but knowing Revan now shared a force bond with Shan would make that difficult.

Meetra frowned not liking this news in the least; a force bond was a deep connection between two Jedi. But it could also develop into an intimate bond between female and male Jedi as well. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of relationship truly existed between Revan and Shan. All the reports she had seen said Shan was the one responsible for giving Malak his chance at attempting to kill Revan, she then captured him and took him to the Jedi council where they tried to murder him. ‘But did the young Jedi know that?’ she wondered. ‘What did Revan think of Shan?‘

“Revan did say she saved his life when Malak tried to kill him which is how the bond formed between then,” Melkor stated into the growing silence gaining both women’s attention. “Revan then told me to return to inform you of his survival and also to ensure you didn’t do anything until he returned. He also stated he expects each of his companions to have the respect any of his people is due, even the Mandalorian,” he finished. 

“He has to be joking,” Rikka said in surprise that Revan would trust any Mandalorian. 

“I don’t believe so, he stated that this particular Mandalorian was not the same as Cassius Fett and his followers and that he had kept his honor during the war,” Melkor responded. “That had he encountered Fett after what happened on Cathar he would have killed him,” he added.

“I don’t care what kind of person he is; there is still a lot of bad blood in this fleet where the Mandalorians are concerned. Rikka argued. “What is Revan thinking?” she asked in clear confusion. 

“I have an idea, but I don’t think it will be a popular one,” Meetra responded after a short silence. “But I can see why he would deem it necessary,” she added, but refused to say anything else. “Why didn’t he return with you and where is the rest of your team?” she asked, her mind still half focused on her realization of what Revan might want with the Mandalorian. 

“He had some business to conduct on Tatoonie, he had Jarrik and Niks remain with him while he concludes whatever that business is and then they will bring him back to the fleet,” Melkor answered. 

“Thank you Melkor you may get some food and rest, you did the right thing in bringing this news back to us as ordered,” Meetra finally said. She wondered what business Revan was up to on a world she knew Revan hated with a burning passion. “I think we all need some rest, tomorrow we’ll inform the fleet Revan is alive and will soon return to us,” she told them both. “Nothing about the Mandalorian is to be mentioned until I can think of something to actually say, but nothing and I mean nothing is to be made public about the force bond he shares with Shan,” she ordered as she glared briefly at both Rikka and Melkor to ensure they knew she meant what she was saying. “That is information we cannot allow Malak to get a hold of. It would make Shan all the more valuable to him should he capture her and give him an angle of attack that could seriously harm Revan,” she told them. 

“You question the loyalty of some of our people?” Melkor almost demanded before he caught himself and remembered that Meetra Surik was now in charge of the fleet until Revan returned. 

“It is possible we could have some spies in the fleet Melkor. Malak is not stupid and he must at least suspect some of us survived his purge,” Meetra replied calmly, taking no offense at the man’s tone as she understood why it was there. “He would have planned to have some of his people play loyal to Revan just in case enough of us survived to be a threat to him, hence we cannot allow the knowledge of his bond to Shan to come out,” she explained. “Is that clear?” she asked.

“Yes General,” both Melkor and Rikka said snapping to attention. 

“Good, now get some food and then some rest because once Revan gets back we go back to war,” Meetra ordered and watched as both filed out. 

She looked out of the nearby port hole and stared into space for a few minutes before she headed back to her quarters and her bed. She knew once Revan and his team got here all hell was going to break loose, especially if she was proven right as to why Revan was traveling with a Mandalorian.  
16\. Chapter 16  
Chapter 16

(Tatoonie)

Revan stopped his party as they approached the large Sand People enclave, they had already been delayed three times on their journey here as well as suffered attacks by Sand People raiding parties and so he was frustrated not to have this entire thing already sorted out. The heat on this blasted planet was also adding to his frustration and caused him to remove his outer robe as had most of the others including Bastila, this of course had a small upside in that it showed off more of Bastila’s body to him. He had to remind himself to keep his more erotic thoughts to himself. He just didn’t know how successful he has been in that regard. 

Bastila was indeed aware of the less than decent thoughts about her going through Revan’s mind even as he tried to block them passing through the bond, it took all her control not to blush as the thoughts had their effect on her no matter how much she fought not to allow them to. Clearly she liked the idea that he found her body desirable, she even liked that he had a personal interest in her beyond her gift for battle meditation. However she still tried to fight her growing feelings for Revan, having such attachments went against the code. And even though her faith in the code had taking some beating since this whole mission had begun, that didn’t mean she was ready to dismiss it entirely. 

“Finally there it is,” Canderous muttered as he noted the enclave.

“Indeed, and that is no small enclave so I suggest we don’t pick a fight with them,” Jolee advised as he got a good look at the place. “Attacking them would be a bad idea,” he added with a shake of his head. 

“Says who?” Canderous muttered in response. 

“We aren’t here to fight, but to negotiate a ceasefire that will stop them attacking the city,” Revan spoke up again before Bastila could speak knowing she would more than likely annoy Canderous with her view of the situation and his view of life. “No matter if they try and provoke us we don’t respond to them, we keep to our purpose and ensure the ceasefire and the freedom of their prisoners,” he ordered in a no nonsense tone. 

“Do you think they will let us in?” Mission inquired somewhat nervously as she didn’t like the idea of being this close to so many Sand People after all the tales she had heard of them. 

“Oh they’ll let us in kid, no worries about that,” Niks said with a dry chuckle. “Whether we get back out is another question. Sand People aren’t exactly known for being easy to talk to and even worse to calm from a war footing,” he explained. “They are very territorial,” he added. 

“Which is part of the problem we face, they consider the city and all within it to be trespassing on their territory,” Revan said into the silence that followed. “Convincing them to call a ceasefire or to retreat from this area will not be easy,” he said with a sigh.

“So what’s the plan?” Bastila inquired with a raised eyebrow. 

“We go in as nicely as possible. We don’t show weakness, but as I said we don’t respond if they try and provoke us,” Revan replied calmly. “HK will translate for us and hope their demands aren’t too high a price for us to pay,” he continued. 

“And if their demands are too high?” Jarael inquired. 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, for now fighting the Sand People is the last option we will consider,” Revan told them all sternly. “Now let’s get this job done, we have two more stops to go before we can finally get off this dust ball of a planet,” he ordered as he began walking again.

The others soon followed and they soon reached the front entrance of the enclave where they quickly noted two guards next to two patrol turrets guarding the door. The guards growled at them and pointed their rifles at them. Revan held up his hands in a sign of peace, and then instructed HK to tell them they had come to negotiate with the chief. The guards looked suspicious, but one of them finally turned and entered the enclave. Finally after a brief wait the guard returned with what had to be one of the upper council. He roared and growled in his native dialect at them, not that any of them could understand him. 

“Statement: He says he doubts our intentions, but the chief has agreed to meet with you,” HK reported. “However if any of our party touches their weapons we will be butchered where we stand. I do believe he means it Master,” he continued. 

“Tell him we understand and agree to his terms,” Revan ordered with a smile, having expected nothing else. 

They followed the man into the enclave and took note of the bustling activity within, as suspected the enclave was filled with Sand People far more than some might suspect. Many were armed and stopped what they were doing to watch them with glares. Revan could sense the unease of his companions, but was pleased none of them forgot to keep their hands away from their weapons. Finally they were brought to a stop in front of a tall hut where one rather tall Sand Person stood flanked by two guards. As soon as they came to a halt the chief began to yell at them in his own tongue. 

“The Chief demands to know why he should believe we are here to negotiate on good faith when it was the city that began the attacks some months ago,” HK translated and Revan frowned as he learned this piece of information. “The tribe has lost over fifty of its people to the attacks and they began without cause. He demands to know why he should even consider calling off their retaliation now that they have overwhelmed the mercenaries hired to attack them,” he continued. 

“Tell him we didn’t know the city began the attacks as we have just arrived and were hired to help stop the attacks as we are Jedi. Tell him that we are sorry that so many of his people have been lost to the slave corporation’s aggression,” Revan stated, angered that he had been in a sense manipulated into cleaning up, after Czerka had overreached itself where the Sand People were concerned. He watched as HK did as he was told. The chief quickly began talking, but clearly not to them, so he turned his attention elsewhere.   
“Those damn slaver idiots,” he hissed under his breath. 

“You do know they might be lying don’t you, Jaks?” Mission inquired just as quietly. “I mean they might just be saying that to make their attacks sound just,” she added. 

“No Mission, I believe them. The Sand People have little interest in the cities and those inside them and thus would not just attack them in such a manner,” Revan responded calmly. “Perhaps a few scouts might take some pot shots at some caravans outside the city, but not wholesale attacks like we have been hired to stop,” he added with a shake of his head. “No, for this sort of aggression they had to be pushed into it,” he stated in firm belief. 

“That’s not what you said outside,” Mission objected in surprise.

“As we said Sand People are hard to understand. Sometimes they couldn’t care less about the cities and those within it,” Niks was the one who responded. “Other times they will attack and view them as trespassers. I guess this time they weren’t interested in attacking anyone, but that has changed now that the city was the one doing the attacking,” he explained. 

“So it all depends on what sort of mood they are in?” Mission inquired trying hard to understand. 

“Yes Mission, Sand People are hard to ever fully grasp,” Revan replied with a smile. “Their moods change like the shifting sand and that just makes them all the more dangerous,” he stated. 

“Silent observation Master: They are surprised by the presence of so many Jedi and somewhat cautious, however they also seem to be less hostile than if we were ordinary mercenaries,” HK reported. “Clearly the attacks had left them with a low opinion of mercenaries and other lackeys of the city master. Jedi however still seem to have some reputation as trustful beings,” he continued even thought his gaze remained fixed on the Sand People. “However one of the advisors is overly against trusting us to stop the attacks and that whatever we agree to will not be honored once we leave,” he finished. 

“Oh yes it will HK, even if I have to make another example out of Czerka before we leave,” Revan swore bitterly, surprising those who didn’t know who he really was although Canderous quickly got over it as he saw no problem with attacking the Czerka corporation again. 

‘Revan, please don’t do anything rash here,’ Bastila pleaded through the bond, aware of the growing anger in Revan, now that they had learned Czerka had started the whole affair to begin with and they were being used to clean up the mess that Czerka could not. ‘We were lucky to escape without any serious repercussions for our attacks on Czerka back on Kashyyk. If we incite another attack it is more than probable that the council will hear of this and bring us back to Dantoonie and find out the truth about you,’ she cautioned hoping he would listen to her. ‘Worse Czerka could put a bounty on our heads and we could end up with a dozen mercenaries on our hides, and that is the last thing we need right now when we have Malak and his forces to deal with,’ she finished and took a deep breath and then waited for him to respond. 

Revan turned his gaze to Bastila and stared at her for some time, the more time passed the more nervous Bastila became. All the while the chief and his advisors continued to argue content to keep them waiting to continue their talk. Finally Revan gave a dark sigh knowing she was right, but he hated to admit it. He could ill afford for the council to learn of his survival especially now that he had learned his people still lived and were waiting for him, to be discovered now would ruin any chance of him turning Malak’s betrayal around and ensuing their original mission could be completely. 

‘Fine Bastila I will stay my hand, but in time I will deal with those slavers on a more permanent basis,’ Revan finally replied and although at first Bastila felt relief at his words those words quickly turned to dread as he finished speaking as she knew he meant it. ‘Before you start to feel sorry for them, remember what they are and what they do to sentient beings and what they would gladly do to you if they could capture you,’ he stated somewhat coldly already sensing her wanting to argue. ‘Scum like they don’t deserve your pity,’ he spat.

Bastila hesitated in responding to Revan’s mental speech, she was unsure what she could say to his righteous view on the subject of Czerka and their dealings in slavery and what should be done to them in return. ‘Perhaps they don’t deserve my pity Revan, but butchering the entire corporation for the actions of but a few who deal in this sick business, I cannot believe they are all in it,’ she finally responded. 

Before Revan could respond the chief turned from his argument with his two advisors and began shouting at them. Revan narrowed his eyes as he waited for HK to translate whatever he had said. 

“Translation Master: He states he would be willing to pull back his enclave if we get him three large water moisturization units,” HK stated turning to glance at them. “He also states that if we do as he asks he will stop the attacks. However if we fail to do as he asks those left behind along with the prisoners will be killed and the city will be sacked,” he added.   
“What does he mean those left behind?” Zaalbar inquired.

“Clearly they will allow only a few of us to go back and get those water units, the others will be kept here as insurance,” Jolee stated with his arms folded across his chest, having been listening to everything that was said with interest. 

He had not been on Tatoonie in years and his last dealings with the Sand People had been on a far less confrontational subject, of course back then he had still been part of the Jedi Order. Having been in exile for so many years it was clear the Jedi had done little to help keep the peace on this planet. Clearly they were losing focus on those problems that could soon become bigger headaches in the future. He could see how and why so many of the Order’s Jedi had turned alongside Revan in his war on all they once held sacred, he could see why so many had fallen in further to follow Malak and his path of utter destruction. History was repeating itself just like with Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun. Jedi had become dissatisfied and had begun to see the Order’s code was no longer enough guidance in the new age that it had once been in the age before it.

Jedi were slow so very slow to change and Jolee considered that their biggest failure, it was why the Sith continued to reappear time after time only stronger than they had been previously. 

“Fine HK, tell him we will get him the water units along with an additional two in exchange for the prisoners being set free as well. Tell him three of us will return to the city to buy the units while the rest stays as insurance,” Revan finally decided after thinking it over. 

“Surprised statement: Your offer is accepted, but the enclave will be put on high alert just in case you will attempt anything,” HK reported after translating Revan’s offer and getting a reply. “At the first sign of betrayal we will be executed along with the prisoners,” he added, sounding amused. 

“No surprise there then,” Niks said with a grin. “So who goes back and who stays?” he inquired. 

“I will go along with Zaalbar and Zayne as their strength will be helpful in getting the units back here,” Revan replied without having to think it through. “The rest of you stay and please remain calm, we will not be long,” he added with a simple smile. 

“Easy for you to say,” Mission moaned, not liking having to stay here with the threat of death hanging over not just her head, but her brothers and her friends and the other prisoners held in this enclave. 

“She took the words right out of my mouth,” Canderous muttered and while he couldn’t care less about being left here with a gun to his head he just didn’t like being inactive and basically ordered to just wait. “Just in case, what happens if you three get waylaid by something on your way back? How long are we supposed to wait until attempting a break out?” he asked deciding to get right to the one point that bothered him about the plan.

“Give us a couple of hours at most Canderous, and if we don’t make it back I expect you to ensure Bastila and the others get out at the least,” Revan stated as he turned and began to walk away ignoring the way Bastila’s eyes widened as she sensed he meant more for her to survive than the others. Zayne kissed Jarael goodbye before he turned to follow. Zaalbar roared once not liking this plan at all, but knowing it was the best option they had without a full on battle taking place and some of them getting killed. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra sat in her quarters going over a few reports from the other ships in the fleet. However she kept stopping and thinking back to her thoughts on why Revan wanted the Mandalorian and the reaction it might gain from even some of his more ardent followers. Hell even Rikka had been shocked that Revan had ordered the Mandalorians to be granted the same rights as the rest of his people, if the idea turned out to be correct then seeing how Revan would deal with the fallout of his choice would be interesting indeed. She knew Revan could easily convince many to do things they previously would have balked at doing, but this was concerning a subject the entire fleet had deep personal scars about. 

The Mandalorian war had left many bitter and still itching for revenge, so the idea of them having to fight on the same side as them in this new conflict would be hard to swallow and would take all of Revan’s oratory skills to make his people accept their presence at their side in this conflict. Still she could be wrong, she didn’t feel like she was wrong, but it was possible. She just prayed Revan had something already planned to say to the fleet if she was right. Shaking her head she turned back to the reports. But her mind wondered back to Revan and this group he was travelling with, clearly he had plans for each of those who made this group up. 

But for her, the mystery was what he intended for Bastila Shan who according to Melkor he now shared a force bond with. This disturbed her on many levels, but mostly on a personal one. She and Revan had been involved during the later stages of the war right up until Malachor V. The end results of that one event had changed all their lives, but hers all the more. She had lost her connection to the force and then she had lost Revan when she had chosen to leave the fleet and return to face the council. The worst mistake she had ever made. She wondered just what kind of effects this force bond and Bastila’s persona would have on Revan, then again she wondered what kind of changes the Jedi might have gone through since been bonded to Revan. Her complicity in the events on Kashyyk spoke volumes, it was possible she was beginning to think and act just like she, Malak and the dozen Jedi who had followed him through the war and into this new conflict. It was possible Bastila was beginning to see the Jedi Code was obsolete and that the council was out of touch with the galaxy at large and that they were not always right. 

“I hope you know what you are doing Revan,” she finally whispered, whishing she could speak to her old friend and lover before he put into motion whatever it was he was really planning, so that she could better understand how they had ended up here.

+TR+

(Korriban, Sith Academy)

Darth Bandon snarled as he left the Master of the Academy Uthar Wynn and his second Yuthura Ban to carry out his orders, he turned back and glared at Ban’s back. Her reaction to Revan’s survival had not been in line with what he would have expected from a loyal Sith and so he vowed to keep an eye on her. Uther had seemed unconcerned with the idea of Revan coming to his Academy. In fact the man had quickly gained a calculated look in his eyes and Bandon surmised he was already coming up with a plan of his own. He didn’t care as long as it didn’t get in the way of his own, because if it did then he would ensure the Academy would be in need of a new Master.

He headed for the quarters he had been assigned to and he just hoped Revan would not delay coming here for too long. He hated waiting, the rest of his ambush squad headed to one of the barrack rooms now assigned to them to rest and wait as well. If his plan worked then Revan would try and infiltrate the Academy under the guise he was a dark Jedi looking to join the Sith. No matter what it took he would pull it off. But now no matter what guise he took Ban and Wynn would know who to look for, he had brought a picture of Revan to be distributed so everyone knew who the target was. Once he was on the surface his ship would be locked down and targeted by the planetary lasers, just in case he found some way to escape. 

Revan would come here thinking he was unknown to everyone and believe he had fooled them all, but he would quickly learn he had been set up and then the trap would fall on him and his companions. Shan would be captured and before he killed Revan he would make the man know how he would watch as Lord Malak broke and subjugated the Jedi female he had taken such an interest in. Oh he could all most taste the satisfaction he would have at that moment in time. The pain and agony of knowing he had failed and that he was about to die at the hands of someone he had once believed to be nothing but a follower. The rest of Revan’s group would be killed as well, executed one after another and Shan would be made to watch because he knew each death would be a death blow to her spirit and her hope of rescue. By the time she left Korriban as his prisoner she would already be close to been broken, from there Lord Malak would complete her downfall and fully subjugate her to the dark side of the force and she would become their greatest weapon to wield against the Republic and the Jedi, who she had once protected so valiantly. 

Back in the main entrance Uthar and Yuthura were still getting used to the fact that not only was Dark Bandon among them, but also the news he brought, Revan the former Dark Lord of the Sith and before that their General still lived even after Lord Malak had tried to kill him. That he also might come to Korriban was not too shocking after all. Revan had always gone where most others would fear to tread, even Malak. No, the only thing that bothered Uthar was how Revan had survived. Malak had prepared his betrayal to the letter and Uthar had long ago thrown in his support having grown tired of Revan’s mission. At first he had been loyal to the mission they had set themselves, but as time passed and his exposure to the dark side grew he had grown to resent the mission and wanted to focus more on his gaining power only for himself just as Malak had. 

Now he had that power as Master of the Academy his reward from Malak for supporting him, now he could prepare the newest recruits and ensure that their first loyalty would be to him and he could secretly begin plotting his own rise to the position of Dark Lord of the Sith. Malak had no idea he even possessed such aspirations, but his lust for power had been growing and now the next stage of his plan could proceed. He could use Revan to kill Bandon, and then when Malak came to select a new apprentice he could strike and kill Malak and replace him as Dark Lord, a simple plan, but one that had the best chance to succeed. Bandon was over confident and more to the point consumed with his hatred of Revan and thus would pay no attention to him putting the odds in Revan’s favor temporarily so Bandon could die. His ambush squad could be dealt with easily enough, just lock them in their barracks, then flood it with poisonous gas and then stab them with lightsabers so that it appeared that they died in battle. 

Of course the hard part would be then to ensure Revan and whoever came with him died as well. He could then report they had killed each other in a massive fight. That Bandon and his men had been over confident and that had led to them being killed as well as their targets. Yes he smiled inwardly that would be the easiest plan to put in place as long as he could ensure Revan didn’t discover his arrival had been expected and he could be manipulated into doing as he wanted. 

“Revan is alive,” Yuthura whispered still stunned to learn the news. “I thought for sure he was dead,” she continued as her shock began to turn into guilt. 

She had been a loyal follower of Revan and his mission from the moment she had been rescued alongside Rikka and a dozen other slaves. She had been trained as a Jedi when it had became apparent that she had the ability to wield the force. Everything she had was due to the actions of Revan and his eternal hatred of slavers, but when Malak had usurped his position and seemly killed Revan she had refused to act or even retreat to the fall-back position just in case Malak had attempted such a thing as Revan had planned for his people as he knew Malak would turn on those he considered too loyal. Instead numb with shock at Revan’s supposed death she had fallen into a set pattern of playing loyal to Malak, her numbness became her normal state until now. 

Revan lived and if he was alive she was certain most of his loyal followers had managed to get to the prearranged fall back point. She felt like a coward and a failure for not having the will to attempt to meet up with them. But she vowed she would make up for it, she had plans to make to ensure Revan walked away from Korriban when he came. 

“It matters not Yuthura if he lives as he is no longer our General or Dark Lord, he has been replaced by a much better man,” Uthar spat, turning to his second. “Remember who you are loyal to girl and don’t make the mistake of thinking of betraying me or Lord Malak,” he warned with a dangerous glint in his eyes although it failed to have much effect on Yuthura. “Bandon will be watching us both, so watch your step girl, I will not die due to your conflicted loyalties,” he promised knowing any action Yuthura took would reflect on him badly. 

“But of course Master, if I had been loyal to Revan I would have attempted to avenge him like so many others did,” Yuthura lied easily even though the words made her stomach churn. “I will begin to make preparations along the line Darth Bandon has ordered,” she added with a quick bow before turning and walking away wishing she could turn and cut Uthar down where he stood. 

Whether she died or not would depend on how Revan viewed her actions including her failure to fall back as ordered, but perhaps it was the will of the force that she had remained here to ensure that Revan and his companions evaded the trap now being set for them and left Korriban alive. 

Uthar watched her go with a narrowed gaze unsure whether to believe her or not, he knew enough about her background to be wary but she had done nothing in her time her to make him doubt her loyalty to the Sith. So for now he would let her go and do her duty, but for here on out he would keep a closer eye on her as he would let nothing interfere in his plans.  
17\. Chapter 17  
Chapter 17

(Tatoonie, Czerka Office)

Revan stood alongside Zayne and Zaalbar having finally made it back to the city with little trouble. Now he just had to get his hands on the five water units or this entire situation would quickly go downhill. Bastila and the others lives were on the line, hence failure was not an option. 

“Ah you have returned, although I note most of your party is missing,” the same woman who had hired them said as she finally spotted them as she had been writing up some reports when they entered. “Does that mean you have failed as well?” she inquired without any hesitation or care in her voice. 

“No, we didn’t fail although nor have we yet succeeded,” Zayne replied with a dark frown not liking the woman at all as she reminded him a little of Raana Tey just before she died, only without the madness that had descended on her.

“I don’t understand,” the woman replied with a confused frown. 

“We have negotiated a ceasefire and the fall back of the Sand People’s enclave, but to ensure that they keep their end we needed five large water moisturization units,” Revan explained doing his best to keep his anger under control. “It was three, but to secure the release of the prisoners we offered two extra, so you will give us what we need and we can end this on a peaceful note,” he stated. 

“But we only have six of those units here and we need them to provide the city with water,” the woman began to protest but Revan quickly cut her off.

“You can buy more with little problem and there is more than enough water to last the city until you receive your new supply. I am not enough of a fool to believe you don’t have a warehouse full to the brim with water if not more than one,” Revan told her with a slight glare. “You also will do this for the sole purpose of making the mistake of hiring us to clean up your own foolishness in starting these attacks. Yes, the Chief told us you began this whole conflict more than likely to gain more ground to mine for water and anything else you could sell,” he continued, his tone becoming darker. 

“We have made a deal that will give everyone what they want and saves lives, now give us the water units or pay the price of thinking you can get out of this without paying for your sins,” he finished with an ominous warning making the woman pale.

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking us ordinary Jedi,” Zayne said with a smile which seemed slightly twisted, but then he’d had plenty of practice pretending to be a darksider or evil during his time on the run. “We have a slightly more flexible code than most and we don’t like being cheated or made fools of. You started this whole thing and now you will help end it peacefully,” he told her. “Or you can refuse and then try and explain it to my more than unreasonable friend, who already has a slight grudge against your company,” he added with a gesture at the still glaring Revan. 

“Fine I will give you what you want,” the woman snapped quickly caving in after staring at Revan for a few more minutes. “But believe me I will be putting in a complaint to the Order about your actions here. Czerka does not take threats lightly,” she tried to sound unafraid, but was clearly terrified of Revan. 

“Go right ahead, the council is a little busy right now with a war to care about complaints from corrupt corporations,” Revan shot back unafraid of the threat as the woman didn’t even know their names and by the time the complaint even reached the council they would be long gone and safely with his fleet. 

“Varko, get five of the large water units up here now,” the woman snapped out an order to one of her underlings. 

“But mam, we cannot afford that,” the short Rodian began to protest.

“I know but we have no choice in case you didn’t hear and now do as I say,” the woman barked back with a glare of her own. “I will explain to our superiors the loss and need of replacement in such a way we cannot be blamed. Now get the units,” she ordered. “I hope you know what you are doing, if the Sand People don’t do as you say they will, I have a bounty placed on your heads so large you will not live long enough to cause us anymore trouble,” she threatened, causing both Revan and Zayne to smirk in response at her attempt at bravado. 

“You have no idea who it is you are threatening and while I find your attempt at a threat amusing don’t make the mistake of thinking that I will not remove your head if I thought for an instant you would bring more trouble and danger down on our heads,” Revan warned darkly making the woman gulp and back away. “Be happy we have cleared up your mess, once we have the units we will leave and deliver them. Your people will be released and should be back here within a few hours,” he stated coldly. “Give the Sand People a couple of days to fully remove themselves from the area before you make the mistake of rushing in to claim it, or you may find all of this effort wasted and we will not help you a second time,” he added as the Rodian and his helpers returned with the water units on an anti-grav platform. 

“Are we going to carry them or take the grav unit?” Zayne inquired, watching the woman who had gone pale as she began to suspect they were perhaps not Jedi at all. 

“We’ll take the grav unit as it will save us time and allow us to keep a hand on our weapons in case we are attacked,” Revan decided giving a glare to the Rodian before he could voice a protest. 

“Zaalbar will take point and I will cover the rear, you will handle the grav platform,” he added quickly coming up with a plan to get the water units back as quickly as possible. 

Zaalbar let out a roar of agreement and quickly led the way out. He wanted to get this mission over with as he didn’t like the desert planet and he especially didn’t like leaving Mission in such danger. Zayne followed with the grav unit on which the water units rested held by a suppression field, Revan followed but paused by the door and turned back to the woman.

“I would think twice about reporting to anyone about our presence, as I said you have little idea about who I am and what I will do if you cause us anymore problems,” he gave a final warning before exiting the building, not caring to hear her response. 

The woman let out a deep breath of relief that he and his friends had left, but she found herself still unsettled by the leader’s very presence. At first when she had hired them she had thought them Jedi and their helpers, but now she had begun to suspect they might be Sith instead. ‘But then why take the job and help them?’ she wondered. It was possible they belonged to neither party and wanted to remain unobserved hence the threat about contacting anyone about them. For now she would keep her silence as she dared not push the man. Especially as she still had to contact headquarters and explain the loss of five water units and the need for replacements and somehow keep her job. 

Zayne walked in silence as they headed back to the main gate and the waiting desert. Something had been bothering him since they had first met Jaks and his friends. It had started with the way Jaks had talked about Malak as if he had known him personally, and then there was his personality which was not what he expected from a Jedi especially in this day and age. The fact he shared a force bond with Bastila Shan was suspect, it was clear he was no Jedi Master so the question had begun to eat at him. ‘Who was he really?’ He had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly who he and Jarael had joined up with, but how it was possible was beyond his understanding, but clearly more was going on than he had previously known. 

“You know you might have pushed a little hard back there,” Zayne finally said after they had exited the main gate and stepped back into the desert, causing Revan to lock his gaze on the younger man. 

“I was just trying to ensure she didn’t cause us anymore problems than we already have,” Revan shot back quickly having forgotten that Zayne didn’t know who he truly was and while he may suspect something was off about him he didn’t know the truth or at least he didn’t think he did.

“No you weren’t,” Zayne responded with a smile as he glanced back at Revan. “You meant every word, plus there is your general disgust with Czerka itself and considering what Jarael and I found when we found you on Kashyyk well I have to say it goes beyond disgust, more like hatred,” he stated boldly knowing he could be provoking a confrontation here, but he preferred to know who he was allied with, especially as Jarael was involved as well. “You are no Jedi, they would never approve of what you did there or how you acted in that office and while I don’t think you are Sith I have to believe that at one time you were allied with them,” he continued. “I need to know the truth if I am to trust Jarael’s life to you,” he stated. “Are you Revan?” he demanded to know.

Revan eye’s narrowed at Zayne’s insistence of his theory meaning he had clearly given away more than he had intended when they first met back on Kashyyk, but at least he was keeping his voice down so Zaalbar didn’t overhear them. He knew he had made a mistake speaking as if he had known Malak so well. Who else could he be? Who would have such knowledge of Malak’s feelings for Jarael and how he had taken her rejection of him. However he could sense little threat from Zayne, clearly he was not about to try and attack him and was only concerned with his lover’s safety and that he could understand. 

“Yes I am, no I was not killed by Bastila instead she saved me when Malak tried to kill me,” Revan finally admitted knowing Zayne would not quit until he had the truth. “The Jedi Council then tried to kill my mind and personality, but the force protected me. Bastila knows the truth although not the whole truth just yet and apart from Jolee, Niks and Jarrik no one else knows I am still myself,” he explained and he didn’t miss the look of disgust that passed Zayne’s face as he mentioned what the council had tried to do to him, but then considering how the council had treated Zayne back when he was accused of the Padawan massacre he suspected Zayne had little love or trust left in them. “I will stop Malak and his followers I promised Bastila that, and in the end the galaxy will be better off without them running riot,” he went on. “Once that is done then things become difficult, lines will be drawn and choices will have to be made,” he stated, locking his gaze with Zayne’s. “Hard ones,” he finished. 

“Meaning you will go back to the war with the Republic,” Zayne stated.

“Possibly, it depends on what happens when we bring Malak down,” Revan responded with a shrug. “And what Bastila and the others will decide once they know the whole horrifying truth of why we came back pretending to be Sith,” he added. 

“Pretending, I think Malak and his people are doing more than pretending,” Zayne countered. 

“Yes they are, they have fully fallen to the dark side and embraced it, but my people, those still loyal to me, and myself were never actually Sith just using it as a cover to hide our true intentions,” Revan explained. “It was a disguise that worked a little too well, thankfully now I know my people survived I can prove just what is the truth,” he told him with a smile. “But that is for later once we get off this damn planet, so for now Zayne I hope you, like Jolee and Bastila, will keep my secret,” he requested.

Zayne didn’t sense any falsehood from the man or any threat even as he finished speaking, so he considered his request without even thinking of lying. “For now I will keep my peace and say nothing, but as Jarael is involved I promise this, you put her in danger and we will have a problem,” he warned after a short silence. 

“Fair enough Zayne,” Revan agreed.

From there they both descended into silence as they continued into the desert, once more passing the disabled sand crawler they had helped defend during their first trek. 

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Zhar stood outside Vima’s door, conflicted over whether to try and confront her or not. He still had only a vague suspicion on what it was she was hiding, if anything, but he suddenly felt very isolated from his fellow council members and felt the need to have at least one friend he could still count on who would not think him mad to feel guilt over Revan’s fate. But would Vima even choose to admit she felt the same or knew something the others didn’t? Well he guessed he would find out as he knocked and then entered the room to find Vima sitting on her bed looking to be trying to meditate. 

“Am I disturbing you Vima?” he inquired as she opened her eyes and looked at him. 

“No Zhar, as my attempts at meditation are being stifled by my worry for Ana and her team, my worry for the growing hatred I sense in Atris and Vrook, especially in light of us giving her the task of keeping some of our most deadly holocrons safe,” Vima answered tiredly. “An error I see coming back to bite us in the future, she grows more unstable and yet the others seem oblivious to it,” she stated in confusion. 

“Yes I too have my concerns where Atris is concerned, especially in light of her continued obsession over Revan,” Zhar admitted and knowing it would help ease into the subject he wished to discuss with her. “She will not hear anything but her own view on the matter, it makes me wonder if his fall and betrayal alongside that of Meetra Surik didn’t unhinge her mind somewhat,” he continued as he sat in a nearby chair. “Surik was at one time her most prized pupil and having her turn and join Revan damaged her somewhat. Revan too had been someone she had admired and believed would take his place on this council one day until he took his stance against the council,” he mused. 

“Yes Surik’s return to face us showed me how much Atris had taken her rejection of the order and of her in favor of Revan and his movement,” Vima agreed with a nod of her head. “Still the council fails to see the effects all this had on her and Vrook and even the rest of us to some degree,” she stated. “

“You are angry with the council for refusing to allow you to send anyone to check on Ana and her team, aren’t you?” Zhar inquired, choosing to leave the subject of Revan alone for a minute. 

“Yes I am Zhar, she is my daughter and any mother would feel the same as my mother would have felt for me,” Vima answered passionately. 

“Yes I suppose that is true enough, but in the eyes of the council you a Jedi foremost and a mother second,” Zhar replied as carefully as he could. 

“And for so much of my life even after having Ana I would have agreed with them,” Vima responded. “But things are different now, I am different,” she admitted with a deep sigh. “I am not the same woman, I will not make the same mistakes my mother made that forced me to run away when I believed she was putting the Jedi above my needs,” she explained, having come to the conclusion she had indeed become just like her mother or close to how she had become forcing her to take drastic action to wake her up. 

Of course that had led her to find Ulic and become his apprentice and in turn help him find redemption although it had come so close to his death. At least he had not died without it and had become one with the force. Her mother had admitted she had felt the blaster bolt that had killed Ulic through their long buried force bond, the bond that had formed when they had been in love so very deeply before Ulic’s fall. That, more than anything, had convinced her that Ulic had indeed come back and she had praised her daughter for leading Ulic back to the light. Ulic might not have been recognized by the order as one of her Masters, but to her he was her most important teacher. Her mother had taken over her training after they had buried Ulic on Rhen Vher. She had visited his small shrine three times since then and each time she still felt the loss not only of Ulic, but of her mother who had passed away just as she was made a member of the council. She liked to believe that her mother had been reunited with Ulic and her father in the force, at peace forever more. 

“Perhaps your history with Ulic gives you a unique view of Revan. We all know the tale and while most Jedi especially those in the council have always dismissed it, the idea one can come back from such darkness gives me hope,” Zhar stated, breaking the silence that had fallen. “Yet I fear we may have opened up the path for him to be always clouded in darkness, if he were to have survived what we tried to do he would know we tried to not only kill him, but in essence destroy his very soul,” he spat and his self-disgust clearly broke through. 

“You are having second thoughts about what we did?” Vima asked in surprise. 

“I feel guilty about what we did to Revan, without even giving him a choice not that I believe for an instant he would have chosen such a fate,” Zhar answered. “I fear this war is changing who we are. The Jedi are losing themselves and are becoming hard and bitter,” he added with a tired shake of his head. “While the idea Revan might have survived seems impossible, a part of me can’t help but feel it is so and from the expression on your face during the council meeting when the subject was raised I can see I am not the only one,” he explained. “But I have to ask is your feeling based solely on your feelings or do you know something?” he asked. 

Vima didn’t respond as she was unsure why Zhar was asking, clearly something in her facial expression had given her away. She cursed her lack of control, but the damage was done now. 

“I swear Vima I will not say anything to the others,” Zhar told her with a gentle smile. “If anything it will put my mind at ease knowing he is alive, although one would wonder why he remains with Bastila and the others in their group if he was,” he mused thoughtfully. 

“The force bond between them will have had an effect on them both, I believe Revan is not as lost as we had believed although I cannot say the same about Malak,” Vima finally spoke, breaking her silence which Zhar seemed to have been willing to allow no matter how long she was silent. 

“Something else is going on we don’t yet understand, I believe Revan survived as I felt him through the force when I last meditated,” she finally admitted. “I was going to say something, but then rethought that when I considered Ana’s situation. I intend to send Revan and his team after her once they are finished on Tatoonie,” she stated. 

“I understand but if you felt Revan then why did we not also feel him?” Zhar inquired. 

“Perhaps because I was meditating and in tune with the force at that point in time, or maybe the force wanted me to know he was alive for reasons we as of yet don’t know,” Vima answered after considering his question. “I don’t think he bares Bastila any ill will, if he had done so she would already be dead, force bond or not and the same for those who are with him,” she speculated. “As for us and the Republic I cannot say where he stands, but we will have to answer for what we did to him at some point,” she added as she rubbed her eyes and got up from her bed and moved to the nearest window. “We tried to commit a crime that goes against all Jedi law and beliefs, a price will be extracted for it,” she stated with total belief in her voice. 

Zhar sighed before he responded. “I wish I could say you were wrong, but I fear you are more right than you know, we will pay heavily before all this plays out and I fear what will happen when Zirrik has to step down due to his age and illness,” he admitted. 

“Our only hope is that Vandar will be gifted leadership of the council,” Vima responded still looking out of the window. “He is the only one I still trust in any real sense beyond yourself, and he is someone I believe even Atris and Vrook would respect and follow,” she explained her reasoning. 

“Agreed,” Zhar said with a nod before he stood. “I will leave you now, I can see you are tired and more to the point so am I. I will keep my word and say nothing of what we have discussed,” he promised. “But Vima tread lightly, in sending Bastila’s team after Ana you might bring sever consequences on yourself especially if Vrook or Atris succeed Zirrik,” he warned. 

“I no longer care for my own future Zhar, but for my daughter’s and I will see her returned alive no matter what it takes,” Vima swore. 

Zhar nodded in understanding and then turned and headed for his own quarters, knowing he would need a good night’s sleep before he even contemplated going through what he learned and discussed with Vima. 

Vima watched her friend depart and hoped she had not just made a mistake in trusting him. She didn’t feel any warning in the force and thus pushed the brief concern aside as she got ready for bed. Zhar had been more right than he knew in that she was tired, she needed a good long sleep she decided as she finally crawled into her bed and closed her eyes.  
18\. Chapter 18  
(Leviathan)

Malak contemplated his next couple of moves in his master plan, although technically it had been Revan’s grand plan in the beginning, but since he had deposed Revan and taken over he had added his own touch to everything Revan had planned. Revan’s survival in any form, while troubling in the small term, didn’t affect the larger plan as Revan was mostly on his own now. Oh he had a small support group, but no longer did her command a fleet of any size, thus he could not challenge his forces or their campaign to crush the Republic. Granted he still doesn’t know what Revan was up too since his return to the board or if he was still Revan after what the Jedi had done to him. Since reappearing he had seemed to be helping the Jedi track down the Star Forge. But in other events he seemed to be following his own plan, so what was Revan or whatever he now was really up too? 

“My Lord, we’ve just received word from your apprentice on Korriban,” one of his communication officers stated. 

“And what news does he have to report?” he inquired barely moving his head to glance at the man. 

“He has arrived on schedule and has put a plan into place to capture Bastila Shan and kill Revan and the rest of his travelling companions which includes using everyone at the academy to ensure they don’t escape,” the man reported. “He believes Revan will leave Korriban till last, but he prefers to wait there as he has the advantage,” he added somewhat nervously as he knew the Dark Lord might not like this information and when he didn’t like something he tended to react badly to those giving it. 

Malak frowned as one part of him agreed with Bandon’s plan as Korriban would give him an overall tactical advantage, and more importantly if Revan had been converted into a mindless Jedi drone then the force would favor Bandon on Korriban more than it would anywhere else. However another part of him found the idea of his apprentice just waiting on Korriban for Revan to come to him unsound and lazy, and more to the point it made Bandon look weak. He had sent an entire unit of assassins with Bandon, more than enough of an advantage to take Revan and his followers no matter what planet they were on. Yet Bandon preferred to wait safely on Korriban. He frowned even more as he recalled he too had preferred to act from a position of strength when he deposed Revan. Instead of facing his former friend face to face as Sith Law decreed, he had decided to destroy Revan’s ship as he fought to repel the Jedi who had boarded it to capture him, thus slaying him from afar. He didn’t particularly like the comparison, he didn’t fear Revan and never had he told himself. 

“Respond to the message by telling Bandon only to wait seven to nine days. If Revan has not turned up by then he is to take his team and hunt them down and bring me Shan,” Malak ordered in a dark tone making his subordinate tremble. “If he refuses to move after his time has run out tell him he will be killed and slowly at that for failing me and proving to be weak and cowardly,” he added, making the man tremble even more as he knew Darth Bandon would not like that anymore than Malak had liked the previous information and would be far more prone to violet action on the man giving the message. Yet there was no denying Lord Malak’s orders, thus he squared his shoulders and nodded his head.

“Yes my Lord at once,” he said before he turned and moved back to his station to send the message knowing it could lead to his death when Bandon returned. 

Malak watched him go before smirking as he knew the man knew the message he was about to send could get him killed as his apprentice didn’t like been threatened or receiving bad news from underlings, still the man was doing his job and thus he would ensure Bandon left him be when and if he returned. Turning back to the maps and plans he decided it was almost time to begin the assault on Dantoonie. The intelligence they had received from their spies informed him of the majority of the enclave’s council except for Dorak pulling back to Corusant was useful. The Jedi had weakened themselves and given him a major advantage, once the battle was over and Dorak was his prisoner he would get his answers about what had been done to Revan as well as the possibility of his survival and what exactly the council had tasked Revan and his party with. He was certain the idea of Revan surviving once he informed Dorak of certain bits of information, like what had happened on Kashyyk and the pulse of hatred and anger he had felt would unnerve the Jedi Master. But he had no plans to break Dorak or turn him, no he had another fate in store for Dorak that would help him should he ever find himself face to face with Revan once more should he have survived the Jedi’s attempts at murder. 

+TR+

(Tatoonie, Sand People Enclave)

Revan entered the enclave thankful to have made it back in good time with only one interruption, a group of bounty hunters had tried to attack them and steal the water units. They had been dealt with in quick order by the three of them. They had clearly no ties to Malak or the Sith and were only interested in the water units probably hoping to sell them for a high price, especially on a desert world. He noted the surprised looks they got as they passed, although some of the Sand People continued to look hostile. They finally reached the chiefs hut to find their friends where they had left them, looking somewhat bored but unharmed. His eyes instantly met those of Bastila and she quickly grew calmer as she had begun to get a little uneasy as they waited. 

“HK tell the chief we have the water units, all of them and now he must now keep his end of the deal and first release the prisoners they have, especially Mission’s brother Griff and then they have to pull back their enclave, how much is their choice,” Revan stated to his droid. “Also inform them that if the city attacks them again they can defend themselves as much as possible, we will not be back to stop any retaliation a second time as long as they only target those responsible for the attacks on their own people,” he added, hoping a suitable warning might help delay a possible repeat of this madness.

“Statement: Understood Master,” HK responded with a nod of his head before he did just that. 

“So we’re almost done here?” Mission inquired and was relieved that her brother would be okay although she doubted what she would say when she saw him. 

“Yes Mission, once we have finished up here we will head to the star map which is probably where we will find Bastila’s father’s remains as well,” Revan stated quietly. 

“How so?” Bastila demanded to know. 

“The star map is in a rather large cave that Krayt dragons use for nesting when they have young, it is a perfect defense for the map should anyone try and find it,” Revan answered. “Your father’s hunting party more than likely headed right for that cave, of course it is possible there were no dragons in the cave at that time and they were hit somewhere else,” he speculated. 

“Statement: Master the chief has agreed to release all the prisoners and pull back the enclave deeper into the desert. He takes your warning in the spirit it has been given and will direct any reprisals only on those who attack them,” HK finally informed them. “His aide is less pleased by this, but has accepted his chief’s orders and has gone to release the prisoners. We are to meet them at the gates and escort them to the city,” he explained. 

“Then let us head to the gets so we can ensure Mission can see her brother and ensure he is okay,” Revan replied as he turned and led them out leaving the water units on the grav unit where they now rested. 

It took twenty minutes for the prisoners to all be released and moved to the gate ready for their journey back to the city. Griff was happy to see his sister, but quickly disappointed her when he asked her for money to help on a new scheme he’d had while held prisoner. While Mission gave him the credits she was less than pleased by his instant reverting to type. He quickly dashed off back to the city not even waiting for an escort as did some of the other prisoners. Mission sighed and leaned against Zaalbar. 

“You okay Mission?” Bastila inquired softy, seeing how the family reunion had gone. Clearly neither of them would hold pleasant memories of Tatoonie anytime soon. The young Twi-Lek seemed to be struggling to control her reaction to her brother’s insensitive attitude.

“I will be, I guess Lena was right about my brother not really caring about me as much as I thought,” Mission admitted with a pained sigh. “But at least I helped save his life, and I can still say I have a brother,” she stated. 

“Yes you can. Griff may fail somewhat as a brother, but I am certain if you ever really needed him he would come for you just as you didn’t turn your back on him when he needed you even though you had cause,” Bastila advised with a gentle smile. “Family can be difficult as I have just been reminded in my reunion with my mother, but we cannot turn our backs on them,” she added, giving Mission a quick pat on her shoulder. 

“Thanks,” Mission responded taking some comfort in Bastila’s words. 

Bastila nodded and moved closer to Revan who was looking out towards the deeper desert apparently lost in thought. She looked him over and tried to take an imprint of his thoughts though their bond, but found his mind was a jumbled mess and thus nothing came through clearly.

“Are you alright?” she finally spoke up after watching him for a few minutes and noted he didn’t seem to sense her presence. 

“Zayne knows who I am, he has been suspicious of me since we met and I made the mistake of talking like I knew Malak personally and knew too much about how he reacted to Jarael’s rejection of him,” Revan admitted quietly so as not to be overheard. “My reactions to Czerka when we went to get the water units and what he saw of the aftermath of our actions on Kashyyk has made my hatred of slavers rather visible and he knows that is one of my defining traits,” he went on as he turned to face her. “He has agreed to keep silent for now as long as I don’t put Jarael in danger. I can respect that, but still clearly in time my secret will come out as a whole and I am hoping it is in a manner that helps us rather than destroy us,” he added, looking only slightly worried about the outcome of this event when it came. “The time for hiding is running out,” he stated boldly. 

“We’ll have to be careful from this point forward, we can ill afford for the truth to come out right now. Carth is emotionally unstable and looking for a target he can take his anger out on,” Bastila said with a sigh as she realized the danger this revelation could bring. “I have no idea how Canderous would react to such a startling revelation that he is in fact travelling with the man who helped destroy his people. Juhani may react badly as well as she has already fallen to the dark side once already,” she added.

“Cathars are by nature aggressive, most of those who have become Jedi have had trouble controlling their more basic emotions and resisting the need to lash out when they lose control,” Revan responded. “In the last great Sith war, initiated by Exar Kun and Ulic-Qel-Droma, there was at least three Cathar Jedi who turned to the dark side finding it far more to their liking than permanent control,” he explained. “As I had said we aren’t meant to ignore our emotions, that we do almost always leads to trouble. Juhani injured her Master in a fit of anger and fled thinking she had killed her instead of calming down and checking,” he stated. “I always knew she would find it hard to follow the Jedi way, but it was better bringing her to the Jedi than leaving her on Taris to suffer,” he added surprising Bastila with the last bit. 

“You brought Juhani to the Jedi?” she inquired having never known that bit of information. 

“Yes I did many years ago just after we joined the war against the Mandalorians,” Revan answered with a nod of his head. “I found her enslaved by a twisted piece of garbage that beat her badly. His name was Xor the slave master of Taris’s under city,” he recalled. “I sensed almost immediately she was force sensitive. I freed her and a dozen other slaves that day, almost killed Xor, but he got away after we were attacked by a Mandalorian scouting party,” he explained. “She has grown powerful, but still her past has a strong hold on her, that helped make her embrace the dark side even for such a short time,” he stated. 

“Given that I am shocked they agreed to allow her to accompany us on this mission, they must have known if she knew who you really were she would feel she owed you her life and would be inclined to aide you,” Bastila responded with a slight frown. 

“More than likely they just wanted her out of the way, believing her already far to tainted to be ever become a true Jedi and thus expendable as long as they achieve the objective of locating the Star Forge,” Revan replied sounding bitter as he always did when talking about the council. 

“The council would not throw anyone away so needlessly,” Bastila protested almost automatically. Although her views of the council had begun to change since learning of Revan’s survival and seeing some of what he had seen through the bond, she still had some belief in the council.

“Really?” Revan asked turning back to face and locking their gazes together. “They once sent three Jedi including the last of the Qel-Droma family to Korriban to finish off the supposed last of the Terentatek during the Great Hunt. Only three with no support and no hope of success and they were all killed,” he informed her folding his arms against his chest. “It was a waste of lives and potential, it was even worse that they sent the last member of such a prominent family who had a long list of members in the order just because of Ulic’s fall and disbelief in his redemption,” he spat. “The council can be vindictive, I also heard that Qel-Droma and Nuur fell in love during the mission,” he said with an amused smile as Bastila’s eyes widened as he told the tale. 

“How do you know all that?” Bastila inquired stepping closer.

“Part of it I learned from the archives at the temple and the rest I found out when I went to Korriban and found their bodies, I took their remains off world and buried them somewhere more pleasant,” Revan answered. “I found two data pads as well which explained pretty much everything, their mission and how it went so wrong,” he continued. “It also stated the first Jedi sent Saresh left the other two on their own as he didn’t like the fact they had fallen in love. He died in a separate tomb trying to slay one of the beasts on his own,” he stated with a shake of his head and dark frown. “No one no matter their skill in the force could kill a Terentatek on his own, not even me as was proven back on Kashyyk,” he admitted. 

“I admit that does sound like a waste of lives especially when they were sent to Korriban of all places, but surely the council must have had good reason not to send more,” Bastila argued sounding somewhat confused. 

“Perhaps they were over confident in their students skills, but that is no excuse, now I suggest we focus on getting this people back to the city,” Revan said finally refocusing on the task at hand. “We will get them within seeing distance of the city and leave them there. We will then head to the Krayt dragon cave and finish up our business here and finally get of this damn planet,” he decided. 

Bastila nodded and moved to tell the others leaving Revan to once again stare off into the distance, she wondered why he had told her so much first about Juhani and the Cathar’s natural affinity for anger and then the tale about the wasteful sacrifice during the Great Hunt. Was he trying to further her distrust in the council, or just make her aware that there are things about the council that she didn’t know? Shaking her head she pushed those ideas away and focused on her task, after another five minutes they moved out leaving the enclave behind and went back into the desert. 

+TR+

(Dantoonie, Jedi Enclave)

Dorak sat in the deserted council chamber trying to meditate, but a strong pulse in the force startled him. Opening his eyes he stood up and glanced upwards as if he could see into space through the ceiling. They were coming, Malak’s attack was about to strike as they had been warned. Taking a deep breath he headed for the communication system to alert the enclave. His fellow masters had retreated to Corusant taking fifty of the best trained Jedi including all the younglings with them, leaving only a skeleton force to guard the planet and maybe pull of a miracle. The two support fleets remained and he hoped it was them that would blunt the Sith’s attack, allowing them a chance to pull off a victory. 

“To all Jedi within the enclave the Sith are about to attack Dantoonie, report to your defense stations and prepare for attack,” he ordered through the com before switching to the planetary com-stations and repeating his order. 

A few minutes later the enclave was rocked by three nearby ship based blaster strikes, and he knew the Sith fleet had indeed arrived. Pulling his lightsaber he turned to heed to the entrance of the enclave to help defend it. He paused and looked back to the now empty council chamber and felt a shiver run up his spine knowing he would not see it again. 

+TR+

(Dantoonie, Space)

Malak watched as his fleet came pouring out of hyper speed and straight into a battle, a battle he knew would turn the war even more into his favor if he won, which was likely. While the Republic fleet around the planet had been doubled it was still smaller than his fleet. Their ships were less powerful and more to the point less willing to do what had to be done to win. 

“Find their command ship and order all batteries to fire on target, have our escorts cover our flanks,” he ordered as he stepped closer to the window to watch. “Order all battlecruisers close to the planet to begin primary bombardment on selected ground targets, and release all fighters and bombers,” he added with a grim smirk which looked devious due to his metal jaw. 

“Yes my Lord,” Saul Karath nodded in agreement before moving to carry out his commands. “All units are now engaged my lord,” he reported after five minutes. 

“Excellent, once we have cleared the defense ships from around the planet we will begin landing our troops, but remember to remind all troops to capture as many Jedi alive as they can, especially Master Dorak,” Malak ordered, glancing back over his shoulder at his admiral who stiffened at the look in the other man’s eyes. 

“I will ensure they remember your orders before they depart,” Karath replied before swiftly moving to do just that. 

Turning back to the battle going on outside his command ship he watched as multiple ships exploded, fighters crashed into larger vessels and laser fire rained down on the helpless world. He felt the dark side of the force growing stronger. Victory would be his because the Jedi had weakened themselves and their presence in this system. He felt the Leviathan shake as a few shots struck home, but clearly the deflector shields were holding, folding his arms against his chest he settled in to watch. 

“Sir, we have located the enemy command ship, it is located right over where the Jedi enclave should be,” one of Karath’s aides reported. 

“Then order all nearby units to focus their fire on it and destroy them,” Malak commanded darkly. Grinning at the utter terror that would soon grip the crew of the enemy flag ship, he watched as a barrage of ship fire began to bombard a Hammer-head class Republic ship centered over what he knew was the Jedi enclave. It tried to move out of range, but was quickly cut off by more of his Interdictor cruisers, its frame began to buckle and within a few more minutes it exploded in a fireball.

“Excellent,” he muttered. “Move our ships in closer to the planet and begin to land our ground forces,” he ordered.

“Yes my lord,” Karath replied and moved to comply. 

Malak noted some of the Republic ships turned and tried to block them as they closed in on the planet, but the majority of the enemy fleet began to pull back away from them, clearly making to escape the conflict and fight another day. ‘Cowards,’ he thought bitterly. Turning from the window suddenly he decided to head to his own personal landing craft. He wanted to taste the ecstasy of battle once more. 

+TR+

(Dantoonie, Jedi Enclave)

Dorak felt the many deaths from above and he knew the Sith would soon launch ground forces against them. He felt only slightly nervous as he had seen combat before when he had been a younger man, but that had been a long time ago. He had spent the past twenty five years in more peaceful times and had little to use his skills against. He’d had no part in the Mandalorian war and thus his skills were bound to be a little rusty, looking up he noted small shapes falling from the skies and quickly getting bigger and he realized they were ships and drop pods. They were coming and in great numbers, which meant the Republic fleet had either been destroyed or had retreated.   
“Get ready they are coming,” he told his fellow defenders and ignited his lightsaber as did his fellow Jedi. He could see the nervous looks on some of their faces, he couldn’t blame them but they had to push past that feeling and focus on the fight ahead. 

“Can we win Master?” one of the knights asked and they could all hear his voice waver.

“There is always hope Kaine, always,” Dorak replied as confidently as he could. “In the end the light will always prevail over the darkness,” he stated with far more boldness and confidence than before. 

A hush fell over the plains outside the enclave and not even the local wildlife could be heard anymore. Dorak knew they had only minutes remaining as he felt the force begin to shift. Suddenly the enclave was bombarded by mortar fire and a flood of dark suited troops charged down the entry way towards them. Most were armed with lightsabers, but the rest were clearly regular troops, clearly those who had followed Revan and Malak through the war and into his rebellion. 

Dorak raised his lightsaber and charged towards the enemy, his fellow defenders followed. They clashed in the courtyard and even though they were outnumbered they managed to push back the initial wave cutting down man after man as the Sith underestimated their opponents, but the tide quickly turned as more troopers arrived and the Jedi began to get cut down. Dorak quickly took note most of those who fell were still very much alive. He suddenly realized Malak wanted prisoners and quite a few of them it seemed, he felt a coldness grip his heart as he blocked a wild swing from one of the Sith attacking him. He ducked another and then brought his saber up in a cutting arch and ended up cutting the man in half. Turning he moved to help Kaine only to come to a dead stop as he took note of the fact that Malak stood there watching him. For the first time in years he felt true fear trying to affect him. Looking upon his old student, now corrupted and worse his face mangled by having his lower jaw removed, he wondered how that had happened to him. 

“Master Dorak, it has been too long,” Malak said with what he guessed was a smile. “I trust you have been well?” he inquired as if a battle was not waging around them. 

“Better than you Alec, of that there can be no doubt,” Dorak responded and didn’t miss the rage that ignited in Malak’s eyes as he used his former name to address him. 

“That was a mistake Dorak. Alec is long dead and now I will make this hurt all the more,” Malak swore as he activated his red bladed lightsaber and advanced with clear blood lust. 

“You have lost yourself in darkness Alec, but you are very much still alive you just fail to acknowledge it. You call yourself Malak to escape your guilt and horror at what you have become,” Dorak shot back as he blocked the first blow from Malak and pushed him back. “What you allowed Revan to turn you into,” he spat.

Malak burst out laughing at that statement. “Is that what you believe Dorak? That Revan led me into darkness? You and the entire council are fools if you cannot see the truth even as it looks you in the eyes,” he told him before lashing forward and trying to take the older man in the side, but Dorak managed to block it and pushed him back again. 

“Of course it is what happened, you followed him into war allowing him to cloud your mind with tales of glory, victory and honor and then you followed him into a hellish nightmare that led to your damnation,” Dorak shouted as he made his first aggressive blow which Malak easily twisted aside before backing away. It was clear Malak was playing with him and drawing out this fight by allowing their discussion, but for what reason was beyond him. 

“You weak minded fool, I followed Revan because I believed in the cause of protecting the Republic back when I felt it was worth defending. But as the war continued I saw that it didn’t deserve all the blood and deaths being served up in its name. I began to hate it and all those who served it, but I preserved and the war was won,” Malak told him coldly, his tone brittle. “Revan and those loyal to him still believed and he had found a secret that threatened it, so we left to find this threat and we found something far more deadly than the Mandalorians and it reeked of power,” he explained before lashing out again forcing Dorak to roll backwards out of the way. “Power I wanted from the start. I played loyal to Revan and began to seek out those of like mind and I bided my time until you sent an ambush and gave me my chance to kill Revan and take my rightful place as leader,” he continued. 

Dorak’s blood began to run cold as he realized Malak was serious. Clearly the council had it wrong, Revan was never the true threat it was Malak because he was insane. “I slaughtered all those who still remained loyal to Revan and then I started my grand campaign. I will destroy the Jedi and the Republic it serves and create an Empire that will last a thousand years and my name will echo in history,” he shouted. “But then you had your little Jedi bitch save Revan and then you brainwashed him into your puppet to serve you and now you pray he will once again save you,” he mused, regaining his composure. “What is funny is this; Revan and those who followed him were all still loyal to the Republic and wanted to save it from itself hence the reason for their supposed betrayal. But now they are all dead and Revan is only one man and if your brainwashing succeeded in killing him then he is no longer a real threat,” he added with a dark smile. “You have doomed yourselves by your own actions,” he stated.

Dorak didn’t know what to make of Malak’s story, it made little sense but he couldn’t help wonder if any of it was true. The idea that Revan had always been loyal, no it couldn’t be Malak had to be lying. This was some sort of trick, he was trying to play with his mind and distract him. “Lies,” he shouted and attacked, swinging his lightsaber in a wild arc before reversing his attack and trying to catch Malak of guard. Malak however activated another lightsaber and caught the blow before using his first to sever the emitter causing the blade to short out. Dorak backed off in alarm, he looked around desperately for another but instead he saw nearly all his fellow Jedi had either been killed or injured enough to take them out of the fight. 

“Still unwilling to see the truth? Revan would never have caused as much blood and death as I have in my war. He wanted planets captured whole and with as little loss of life as possible, that was his way and you helped stop him and make all this death possible,” Malak taunted him as he stalked him. “You have helped me throw down Revan and his mission, you have helped me destroy the Republic and all you hold dear,” he spat as Dorak smacked into a stone pillar. “You have my thanks,” he stated before he dropped one of his lightsabers and quickly punched Dorak in the jaw with everything he had.

Dorak collapsed to the ground groaning in pain as he looked up at Malak with dazed eyes, he reached out with his hands and tried to use the force to throw something in Malak’s way, but he couldn’t focus enough and failed. Malak raised his boot and stomped it down onto the older man’s head, knocking him out.   
Malak smirked knowing that even though Dorak had refused to believe him that he had sown the seeds of doubt in his head. Once the battle was over and he was safely locked up he’d have another chat with his former Master and make those seeds grow. Turning he ran and impaled his lightsaber into one of few remaining Jedi still standing and smirked as the body dropped to the ground covered in blood. He then raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of force lightening into another and laughed a cold blooded laugh as the Jedi screamed and screamed as he fried causing his skin to blacken and blister before Malak allowed him to fall dead to the ground as a charred corpse. 

“Bind the prisoners and bring them to the ship, kill any other Jedi left,” Malak ordered before he turned and entered the enclave to locate any holocrons or other data he felt might be useful.  
19\. Chapter 19  
(Tatoonie)

Bastila was following Revan silently and was lost in her own thoughts first about her mother and her illness and then the fact that her father was dead and she would never see him again. She was also trying to prepare herself for when they found his body in the cave Revan believed him to be in, which turned out to be the one containing the Star Map. She suddenly stopped and let out a gasp as she felt a shift in the force and quickly placed a hand to her forehead, suddenly feeling ill as she thought for a second she heard the screams of countless deaths. 

“Bastila, you okay?” Mission inquired before she took note Jolee and Zayne both looked the same as Bastila, only Revan and Niks looked unaffected by whatever it was. 

“Yes, I just sensed a disturbance in the force,” Bastila responded after a few seconds of trying to refocus herself. “Somewhere there has been a great deal of death, something terrible has happened,” she explained when she noted the confused looks on the faces of those of their group who were not Jedi.

“I felt it too, I think we all did,” Jolee grumbled knowing whatever had happened it couldn’t be good for them or for the Republic as a whole. 

“Jaks and Niks don’t look like you guys,” Mission argued and pointed to the two men who looked fine. 

“We felt it Mission, you cannot be in tune with the force and note feel it, but the difference is we have felt such things before and have managed to find a way to accept and deal with the feelings such disturbances can cause,” Revan responded calmly, but he kept a close eye on Bastila who still looked slightly uneasy. “Jolee is probably out of practice seen as he has been in exile for so long which is why he is feeling the disturbance so strongly and Zayne is still young and learning as is Bastila,” he told the young Twi-Lek.

“Which begs the question how you can be so well controlled if you are newer at controlling the force than either of them?” Canderous inquired with interest. “Hell from what Carth has said while we’ve been drinking you only became a Jedi a few months ago, hardly enough time to be more in control than them,” he added as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

Revan let out a silent curse as Canderous looked at him with clear suspicion in his eyes. He noted Bastila now looked concerned as another of their companions began to doubt the truth of his cover due to something he had said or done.

“Isn’t it possible he was in the Mandalorian war and without realizing it began to learn how to control how he reacted to so much death?” Zaalbar inquired looking between them. 

“Possible hell maybe I have no clue how one goes about communing with the force,” Canderous responded with a chuckle. “I just find it odd that a brand new Jedi has better control that a veteran or two more experienced Jedi,” he stated with a shrug as he dropped his arms to his side. 

“We all have our secrets Canderous,” Revan finally spoke. “There will come a time when those secrets will have to come out, but for now all I will say is yes I was in the war and yes that is where I learnt how to control my reactions to such large scale death through the force,” he explained. “You could not be a Jedi and be in that war and not learn how to control yourself, if you could not learn then you were better off dead,” he added as he remembered a few of his followers who had succumbed to grief and madness due to been unable to block out the countless deaths they had felt during the war. 

He turned and began walking again as they headed through the pass to the deeper desert where the cave with the Star Map was located. The fact it was in the deeper desert was one of the reasons he had insisted they escort the freed prisoners to within sight of the city before heading here. It would have been too much of an effort for them. Admitting he was in the previous war had been a mistake, but like he had said to Bastila the time for hiding was quickly coming to an end. He would need Canderous more than ever once they got off this damn planet, his aide once they made a deal would be critical to his missions success. 

He just hoped he found a way of explaining the need for this alliance when he got back to his people, he knew there was still a lot of bad blood where the Mandalorians were concerned. Force knew if he was honest he still harbored ill feelings towards them as well. He hadn’t forgotten the horrors he had witnessed of what savagery the Mandalorians were capable off. He would never be able to fully forget what he had seen on the devastated world of Cathar, not the aftermath or the massacre he and everyone on that world had witnessed through the force vision that had eclipsed them when he found what would become his helmet. No, he would not forget, but if they were to be successful in his mission and make the sacrifices already made mean something then they would have to put that bad blood aside and ally with the Mandalorians if they would agree to follow him that was. 

‘That was an error Revan,’ Bastila’s mental voice almost surprised him as she spoke over their bond as he realized they had not done so since Carth had told them off for doing it in front of them. ‘You are slipping,’ she warned.

‘Perhaps, or maybe I just tire of lies,’ Revan thought back at her. ‘The truth will have to be told and soon, time is not on our side Bastila,’ he reminded her. 

Bastila almost nodded in agreement with that statement before she managed to stop herself, the others didn’t always need to know when they were using the bond to talk. 

Canderous brought up the rear, but kept a good eye on Jak’s in the front. Something just didn’t add up especially with what he had just said and the presence of what he was certain was Revan’s personal assassin droid, nor the fact he had admitted he had been in the previous war and possible had been a Jedi. Thus the story about him been a newly found Jedi was bull shit. That really interested him. No his instincts told him he was in the presence of a very dangerous man, perhaps even Revan himself or if not him someone connected to him. The idea may seem insane to some people. Malak was supposed to have killed him through a cowardly act of betrayal instead of one on one combat some time ago. But Canderous had fought against forces led by Revan twice during the war, each time they had superior numbers and a tactical advantage on their side and thus logic stated they should have wiped Revan and his people out. Instead they were the ones who were wiped out, their numbers and advantage easily destroyed by his superior planning and strength. He had also bested Mandalore and his elite bodyguard singlehandedly, thus in his mind Revan could easily have survived Malak’s betrayal especially if he expected it. 

“So what do you think happened, you know to make you feel all those deaths?” Mission finally asked cutting through the silence that had fallen between them.

“I don’t know Mission, but clearly the Sith have struck again,” Bastila responded softly with a shake of her head knowing the teen would be highly sensitive to the deaths of more people after seeing her home world destroyed. 

“It was Dantoonie, the Jedi Enclave has been wiped out and the planet conquered,” Revan stated boldly without a sliver of doubt in his voice. 

“How could you possible know that?” Jarael inquired sharing a concerned look with Zayne, who looked terribly sad at the news as he had spent time at the academy when he was first taken to the Jedi and trained under Master Vandar, before his life fell apart when he was moved to Taris. 

“Because we warned an attack on the Enclave was coming before we left Kashyyk, we were ambushed by a Sith assault team on our trip into the Shadow Land. We kept one alive and questioned him, he told us Malak was preparing to assault the planet and thus we sent a warning to them,” Revan answered without looking back. “More than likely most if not all of the council will have evacuated back to Coruscant taking as many Jedi as they believed necessary especially the younglings,” he explained. “Those left behind will have perished or we can hope that was their fate, as bad as that makes me sound you don’t want to end up as Malak’s prisoner,” he added at the horrified looks Mission and Jarael shot him. 

Bastila however shivered in horror as she knew Malak especially wanted her to be his prisoner, he wanted to break her through the most despicable methods available to him and she had no illusions that such methods wouldn’t be even worse because she was a woman. 

“You really think they would have just run?” Zayne asked with a frown. “I mean that Enclave has been there for years, it is one of the Jedi’s longest run training enclaves,” he pointed out. 

“They would say they had to because their strength was needed for the war, that dying for one planet would be a waste,” Revan shot back. “Oh I am certain someone from the council stayed to lead, I do not know who, but I doubt they all left and they would have tried to defend the planet as best they could, but Malak would have brought overwhelming force against them,” he continued. 

“Malak wants to make a statement to the galaxy that the Jedi can’t protect the Republic and thus far he has been right, there are none within the current Council or Jedi who can lead effectively against men and women who have already burned in the fires of war,” he stated. 

“But Malak is not as effective as Revan was during the last war, we’ve all seen that Malak seems more concerned in causing death and destruction than actually winning the war,” Canderous snorted contemptuously. “Hell he wouldn’t even face Revan in one on one combat for leadership from what I’ve heard. He decided to shoot Revan in the back when he was distracted in an act of true cowardice,” he said with a look of disgust marring his features. “If that is the way he leads by showing he fears his enemies he won’t last long. The Republic will turn the tide, all they need to do is find a real leader to organize them and outwit the fool,” he mused. “Hell they could get creative and try and find some allies, they are other forces out there who could help,” he added with a shrug. 

Revan smiled because he had the same thoughts himself and he intended to carry through with making new alliances to help him once he got back to his fleet. He wouldn’t sit idle while Malak descended into madness and turned the galaxy into a burning husk to feed his madness. As for Malak showing fear in front of his troops, he supposed by shooting him in the back he had indeed showed he feared facing him one on one. Why else would he ignore the supposed tradition of the Sith, of the apprentice facing and killing the Master in actual combat, not through assassination? 

“Malak might not be as an effective a leader as Revan was, but he makes up for that in his raw brutality,” Jarael spat. “The fear he spreads wherever he goes, the utter devastation he has wrought on Telos and Taris has made him seem utterly without mercy and more evil than Revan ever was,” she went on with a slight shiver. “Revan was known for taking planets mostly intact with as few civilian casualties as possible, but Malak enjoys destroying everything he can, especially the innocent lives of the people on the planets he attacks,” she finished with a dark look, causing Zayne to put his hand around her shoulders to try and comfort her. 

“Revan was controlled and always had a plan to move things forward; it was how he beat my people. We could never outthink him, no matter how much we tried we couldn’t plan an attack he couldn’t counter and while we managed to win a few battles led by his various commanders, including Malak, we were just up against someone willing to do everything needed to win,” Canderous noted, but kept an eye on Jaks just to see how he reacted to what he was saying. “Malak is none of that, his plans from what I have seen are quickly put together and he has no patience to see his plans pan out, especially if they do not go as he has foreseen. He will quickly order something to be done like when he bombed Taris when he got tired of trying to capture Bastila,” he continued. “He’s impulsive, quick to anger and makes mistakes,” he added.

“He wasn’t always like that,” Zayne argued. “Back when we first met him he was calm, he thought things out and planned things well in advance,” he pointed out. “Now he’s like a completely different person,” he said somewhat dejectedly making Revan wince as he felt a slight twinge of regret at what Alec had become. 

“Wait, there is the cave,” Revan suddenly called out as he came to a dead stop, making Bastila feel a sudden drop in the pit of her stomach as she realized that in the next few minutes she would see her father’s dead body. 

“Looks like there are some hunters outside the cave,” Niks noted aloud as he looked around. 

“Probably here to kill the Krayt Dragon for their pearls,” he added. 

“Which is exactly what my father and his party were here for and that did not end well for them,” Bastila quickly pointed out with a dark frown. 

Niks nodded knowing that this wasn’t an easy matter for the female Jedi, that she was facing emotions she had not faced since she joined the temple. Death of a loved one could have a profound effect on people, but especially Jedi especially as they repress their emotions for so long. The death of a loved one can be the cause of the release of a lifetime of repression. A release, than can either break the Jedi experiencing it, or strengthen them as they learn to control the emotions and finally embrace them.

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra stood on the bridge as she listened to the reports coming in from the various ship commanders on the status of their ships. Since they had finally located Revan she had decided to get a full status report on each ship and finally get a real number for how many ships they had, including fighters. She had also ordered a full head count so they knew just how many of them there were, the numbers she had been told by Rikka just didn’t add up. They couldn’t be real, they had to be a mistake. She was guessing during the aftermath of Malak’s betrayal and the deaths of all their friends and supposedly of Revan himself, someone had taken a guess at how many of them had survived and given it as fact and the same with the numbers of ships. Already the numbers were beginning to show that whoever had given the previous figures to Rikka were dead wrong. The question she had was why had no one noticed or why had no one done a recount once things had settled somewhat once they reached the fall back point?

“General, we are getting reports from our scouts that the Malak’s forces have attacked and conquered Dantoonie,” Rikka reported suddenly from behind her, causing her to spin round. “We heard rumors that an attack might be coming, but we had heard nothing since then until now,” she explained. 

“How bad is the damage?” Meetra inquired wanting to sigh. 

“The planet was hit badly, but it hasn’t been raised like Taris and Telos were. They took the planet into their supposed empire,” Rikka replied. “The Enclave itself was bombed and has sustained heavy damage from what one very lucky spy reported,” at Meetra’s look she decided to elaborate. “He was almost exposed while sending the report, but he managed to deal with the problem before that happened. He killed the guard who almost stumbled on him and made sure the body wouldn’t be missing for a while,” she explained. “Some Jedi were captured including Master Dorak who was the only council member to stay behind, the rest fled back to the Coruscant. There were also heavy casualties among the civilian population especially in the local defense forces. A Sith fleet now orbits the planet,” she finished her report and waited for Meetra to respond. 

“So they’ve gained more ground and pushed the Jedi back, no worse they’ve made the Jedi look even weaker than they were by the fact that nearly the entire council ran instead of standing and fighting,” Meetra said, followed by a curse. 

“Considering the size of the force Malak brought down on them I doubt it would have made a difference General. The Republic fleet gave up the battle soon after the destruction of their flag ship and fled,” Rikka shot back grimily. “We had one of our spies nestled in the attack fleet, he reported the Republic fleet put up a rather lackluster fight and once the flag ship was destroyed they lost any cohesion they had and fled,” she reported with a dark look. “Without proper air support Dorak and his forces were doomed,” she concluded. 

“I agree, the Republic must be in worse shape that we suspected if they can’t even fight back properly,” Meetra spat, wondering what Republic Command was doing considering the threat they faced. “How can they have allowed themselves to become so easily overcome. When we fought the Mandalorians every fleet was capable of fighting to the death, no matter if they were led by us or not,” she pointed out as she began to pace a little. “They had strong capable commanders, leaders worthy of been followed into hell if needs be,” she added. 

“I think part of the problem is most of those commanders are either dead or like Saul Karath turned and joined Malak either out of fear or because they have similar beliefs,” Rikka replied. “The Republic Fleet hadn’t even fully recovered from the last war before we came back pretending to be Sith. Had things stayed as they were and Malak had remained loyal things wouldn’t be so bad, but no one not even Revan saw Malak’s betrayal coming,” she continued darkly. 

“Revan at least thought it was possible Rikka or you and the fleet wouldn’t even be here. You’d either be dead or dispersed around the galaxy lost and without purpose,” Meetra shot back as she stopped pacing and looked back at her. “He at least put this fall back plan into motion, so he wasn’t caught fully off guard, but perhaps due to their past friendship he was hesitant to believe it would come down to betrayal,” she reluctantly admitted. 

“Perhaps,” Rikka said with a growl not wanting to discuss Malak in any favorable light. He was and would always now be nothing but a traitor. He deserved no respect not even for his past deeds when he was still one of them. “Still the loss of Dantoonie will have hurt the Republic and the Jedi; they were already in the process of pulling back. This makes the situation for them worse than ever if things do not turn in their favor,” she pointed out.

“Or something gets in Malak’s way and distracts him,” Meetra mused aloud. “But until Revan gets back we can’t do anything. He was specific on that in the message he gave to Melkor,” she said with a sigh and a shake of her head. “Thus for now the Republic and the Jedi will have to find the strength to fight back and quickly, or at least hold on until we are ready to announce our resurrection through fire and death,” she stated to which Rikka could only nod in agreement. “Continue the review of the fleet, once the real numbers are in meet me in my quarters so we can discuss them,” she ordered before she turned and headed to her room to lay down for a hour.

Rikka watched her go knowing the General was feeling the pressure already of holding the fleet together until Revan returned. She knew exactly how it felt having done it herself before they had rediscovered General Surik. She turned to look out of the nearby windows of the command bridge and prayed Revan would return soon. They needed to act and soon before the Republic and Jedi folded under the pressure from Malak and his followers. She also prayed the General’s realization that the numbers they had for the fleet were wrong, that at least would go a long way to increasing morale until Revan finally returned.


	3. Chapter 3

20\. Chapter 20  
(Leviathan)

Malak entered the torture chamber to find Dorak blooded and fading in and out of consciousness. His men had clearly done their job correctly and remembered not to kill him, for which they knew he would have ensured that they would have suffered for their error. 

“Ah Master Dorak I see you are well rested,” he greeted him, gaining the tortured man’s attention. “I trust you are enjoying your accommodations?” he taunted as the man moaned as he tried to speak. 

“Your cruelty will gain you no benefits Malak. I have no secrets to give to you,” Dorak managed to say.

Malak burst out into a bout of laughter at the older man’s words which just made the man groan as he felt he was been toyed with, taunted just for the fun of it. “You have no secrets worth beating out of you Dorak, and your previous Order will not last long enough to rescue you,” he stated coldly after he stopped laughing. “In fact they more or less believe you to be dead along with everyone else, my people tell me no Republic ships or suspected ships have even dared to approach the planet since it became a part of my empire,” he informed the other man. “That is how much your great Council values your life. They don’t even care enough to even dare look to see if you might still be alive,” he taunted knowing he was adding to the man’s emotional pain. 

Dorak closed his eyes and wished he was elsewhere or better yet that he had died back on Tatoonie, anywhere but having to be here and having to listen to this mad man that once was a loyal comrade. “The Council will not rest until you and all who follow you are destroyed. The Sith have tried to destroy us multiple times in the past and we have always survived and destroyed the threat,” he said as confidently as he could. “You cannot win, history is against you,” he stated boldly although he did not feel as bold as he tried to sound. 

Once again his comments sent Malak into a fit of laugher only this time it went on longer than the last, finally he seemed to regain his composure and made sure to lock his eyes on Dorak’s. “You think you destroyed the Sith, you think you won every battle?” he inquired in a deadly serious tone. “Oh how foolish have the Jedi allowed themselves to become?” he asked almost to himself. “I will let you in on another little secret Dorak and this is one that will haunt you as you sit waiting for the end,” he said as an evil look entered his eyes. “You did not destroy all of the previous Sith Empire at the end of the last Great War. A large population escaped into the uncharted regions and created a new empire,” he informed him. “It has grown in the years since the end of that war, it is huge and it is gearing up to bring forth its wrath on the ignorant Republic and Jedi who believe them dead. 

Revan, myself and our people found it when we disappeared because Revan found out from Mandalore before he killed him that it was the Sith who provoked them into attacking us,” he explained, keeping his eyes pinned on Dorak’s who listened with horror. “Everything that has happened since the Mandalorians attacked us has been at the behest of the Emperor who rules their new Empire. Revan wanted to fight them, but knew we didn’t have enough ships or manpower to do so and thus came up with a new plan to protect the Republic,” he added with the ending been said in distaste as if the very thought of defending the Republic made him sick. 

Dorak wanted to argue that none of what Malak was telling him was true, but something in the other man’s eyes convinced him this was the horrible truth and that meant they faced an even greater danger than they ever believed possible. If what Malak was saying was true he had to wonder how they had missed parts of the Sith Empire surviving? The Jedi and Republic were supposed to have eliminated every single trace of the ancient Empire of the Sith and killed every survivor. But Malak had stated they had failed. ‘Had the Jedi and Republic allowed pride and a superior sense of destiny blind them in their victory?’ he wondered. 

“Yes that’s right Dorak you failed and allowed yourselves to believe a false truth out of arrogance,” Malak taunted as he saw the truth slowly begin to sink into the Jedi Master’s mind. “Then you added to your arrogance by not seeing the truth of Revan’s new plan. He attacked the Republic not to destroy it but to save it from itself, if you think back and look of how he captured planets you will see he did so with as little destruction as possible and he tried to minimize the loss of life in every battle,” he explained looking for the killing strike that would break Dorak’s spirit and leave him broken, knowing he had the truth and the possible salvation of all he held dear but could do nothing about it. 

“He had no intention of ever destroying the Republic because he never fell to the darkside. Oh he used it tapped into it, but never embraced it, as I said back on the planet he was loyal as were those who followed and believed in him and his damn mission,” he spat suddenly turning angry. “But I had grown tired of defending a weak powerless Republic and of serving an even worse and ineffective Council of fools. The Jedi had shown themselves weak and cowardly and unworthy of my blood and the blood of all those who died in their name,” he growled. “And I grew tired of always been in the shadow on Revan, the great hero and commander and the man most saw as the one who led the Republic to victory against the Mandalorians, as if I and others didn’t play our parts as well,” he raged as his anger increased and Dorak had a glimpse of some of what had turned Alek into this madman. 

“We were forgotten when compared to Revan, and thus I decided to kill him and all those who followed him. I would create my own legend and Empire and I would erase his name from history as well as gain my freedom from all who would subjugate me,” he finally finished. 

“You’ve allowed jealously and hatred to destroy you Malak, Revan was your best friend and he trusted you,” Dorak argued, even though all he wanted to do was sleep just so he could get out of this discussion as it was breaking all his long held beliefs in what was true. 

“Trust?” Malak asked as if the word was unknown to him before he broke into even more laughter. “Sith do not trust and if Revan allowed trust to blind him he deserved to die and if he allowed some attachment due to our former friendship to cause him to hesitate he was unfit to lead and I had every right to remove him and so I did,” he added. 

“Yes by trickery not by face to face confrontation,” Dorak finally decided to try and argue and unsettle Malak. It was dangerous he knew, but he couldn’t take any more unsettling truths from his enemy. “You used our ambush on his ship to your advantage and basically shot him in the back, you dared not face him in combat and thus used cowardly tactics to win,” he stated, again trying to sound confident. 

Instantly Malak’s face distorted into rage and he lashed his hand out and unleashed a barrage of force lightening which leapt all over Dorak’s body. Dorak screamed in agony as the vile power washed over him. He had already been tortured before Malak arrived and thus he had little strength left to truly resist, he continued to scream for another two minutes before he lost consciousness and faded into oblivion. Malak finally stopped as he took note his prisoner was out cold and he reminded himself he didn’t want to kill him, his hands were clasped into tight fists as he glared at the unconscious body of Dorak as he realized he had almost made an error in letting his anger get the better of him. Dorak’s words had been aimed at angering him and they had succeeded, but he wouldn’t slip up and free Dorak into the embrace of death. He would pay for his words later on when he had been allowed to recover somewhat. He turned and exited the cell and turned to the two guards stationed at the door. He glared at both and noted how they tried to hide their fear. 

“Clean him up and take him to medical, once he has been healed take him back to his cell and do not take your eyes off him,” he warned them. “If he escapes you will suffer an eternity of agony for your error, he is your responsibility,” he added before he turned and left leaving the two guards to shiver before they quickly headed into the cell to do as they were told. 

Malak walked to his private quarters as he wondered if Dorak has lashed out with that last provoking statement either so he would be killed and freed from the pain, or so he would not have more of his world turned upside down by truths that had pushed him to the brink of sanity as he realized how badly he and the Council had messed up. He chuckled as he relished the pain Dorak must have felt as he realized the true trouble he and the Council were really in, and more to the point that they had in essence aided the Sith by inadvertently helping him remove Revan from command. That all those who had died in his great purge had been loyal Republic soldiers and Jedi instead of rival Sith, oh he knew that information would burn in Dorak’s mind once he awoke. As he entered his quarters he couldn’t help but smirk. Dorak’s faith in the wisdom of the force and of the Council had to be hanging by a thread now. 

+TR+ 

(Tatoonie)

Revan came to a halt near the entrance to the cave that housed the Star Map with the others close behind, as Niks had pointed out there was a group of five hunters outside the cave with one of them quickly approaching them. He was a tall Twi’lek with a yellow skin tone so he was clearly of the more numerous Rutian species of Twi’lek. He came to a halt only a few paces from him holding his blaster in a relaxed posture. 

“Greetings travelers,” he said with a friendly smile. “Are you fellow hunters?” he inquired. 

“No we are not, but we do need to get into that cave,” Bastila answered before Revan could even think to respond. He glanced at her and noted she was agitated which considering what she was about to face he could understand.

“I see, we are here to try and kill the nesting Krayt Dragon within so we can harvest the pearls to sell, however we have failed to lure the beast outside,” the Twi’lek responded after glancing back at the cave for a few seconds. “Perhaps we can help each other, for you will not be able to enter the cave without removing the dragon first, thus we need a way to lure the beast outside and I do have an idea,” he suggested. 

“Oh and what is the plan?” Zayne asked as he looked around and wondered what they could use as bait to get the dragon to come out of the cave.

“There were some Bantha’s just over the dune tended to by some Sand People, perhaps if you can lure them outside the cave the dragon will come out to feed,” the Twi’lek explained. 

“No, we’d have to kill the Sand People to get those Bantha’s away from them and we just got through with engineering a peace treaty between them and the city and we can’t risk breaking it,” Revan quickly cut in before anyone could say anything. “There is a simpler way to get the dragon to come out, but I cannot afford for you to kill it either as it makes a natural guard for the cave for what lies within,” he went on as he rubbed his chin in thought. “Hence I will pay you enough credits to cover your hunt to leave and not to come back, this cave is better off left untouched,” he offered as well as warned at the end. 

“I don’t fully understand however I will take an easier way of getting my credits if it is offered as this hunt has already cost me more than was anticipated when my original party was decimated,” the Twi’lek replied with a nod. 

Revan removed the last couple of thousand credits he had in his backpack and handed them over to the man, he nodded in agreement that it was enough and signaled his men to come to him. He then paid each men their due before they all turned and left, Revan kept a close eye on them until they passed over the dunes. 

“Er…where we going to get more credits from?” Mission inquired having noted Revan’s pack was now empty of money. 

“Don’t worry I have plenty stashed away on various planets, we’ll get more,” Revan responded with a confident smile at the young Twi’lek that easily reassured her. 

“So how do we get the damn dragon out of the cave?” Canderous asked somewhat unsure for one of the few times in his life, as he did not want to play live bait not now or ever and especially not with a damn Krayt Dragon. 

“Using an ancient force talent to connect with the beast we can urge it to leave the cave, it was used rather extensively in the Great Sith War on the planet Dxun and was also used by those Jedi known as the beast masters,” Revan explained. “It is a rare talent in this day and age but I believe Bastila and I can do this,” he assured them.

“But I do not know how to use this power Jaks,” Bastila suddenly chimed in having been lost in her own thoughts and only just stopped herself from using his real name by a hairsbreadth. Sighing in relief that she had not just blown Revan’s cover, she rubbed her head and tried to focus herself and pushed aside the rising grief she could feel wanting to overwhelm her.

Revan chucked and not for the first time Bastila’s body responded with a shiver at the noise, more and more as they spent time together Bastila had realized she had begun to respond to Revan in ways she had never believed she was capable of. Even a short chuckle which for him was so unusual sent pleasant chills through her. If the Council knew just how far she had allowed Revan to affect her they would surely exile her for allowing herself to fall under his spell and forgetting her duty. For daring to even think she could love him, and she could barely stop herself from thinking that was exactly what was happening to her that she was falling in love with Revan. Shaking her head she wondered how she had come to this in only a few short months, from the upstanding and loyal Jedi who had captured the supposed Dark Lord to the now rebellious and compliant Jedi who followed Revan’s lead as well as fell in love with him in their quest. 

“We share a force bond Bastila and thus we can transfer knowledge and even use one another’s powers,” Revan reminded her with a smile for once not catching her inner thoughts. “If I so wished I could utilize your battle meditation even if it would not be as effective as your own, hence while you will be able to use the beast taming power it just might not be as effective as mine,” he explained to which she nodded in understanding. “The rest of you stand back, do not approach until we tell you it is safe. Bastila stand close to me and allow the bond between us to open as wide as possible and I will try and push the relative knowledge to you,” he ordered. 

Bastila moved to Revan’s side and closed her eyes for a few seconds before she opened them and did as he had instructed, the bond opened and she was suddenly engulfed by Revan’s power. She felt like he was inside her and she within him, the joining of their minds was beyond anything she had felt and then she felt a suitable shift as something seemed to suddenly appear in her head. She felt the knowledge of how to tame the beasts course through her, it was like it had always been there just hidden from her conscious mind. Unknowingly she raised her hand and projected her power into the cave just as Revan did the same, she felt them both connect to the dragon as it roused from its sleep as it felt the power wash over it. The dragon’s mind felt alien and unlike anything she had encountered before, yet slowly she felt herself begin to coax the beast outside, yet it was not an easy process as the beast struggled to resist as if it knew it was under attack. Finally after what seemed like forever the others all gasped as the gigantic Krayt Dragon walked stiffly out of the cave, it let out a loud roar of protest before it moved close to the nearby dune before it settled and seemed to fall asleep.

“By the force,” Zayne gasped in surprise just as Mission let out a loud “Wow” completely in awe of what she had just seen. 

“That is impressive work kids,” Jolee admitted as he looked over the giant sleeping dragon. “Not seen anything like that in a long, long time,” he added as long buried memories fought to the surface. Memories he had long sought to keep locked in the deepest recesses of his mind, memories of the war and the loss of his wife. 

“Damn,” was all Canderous could say as he had seen some impressive feats from Jedi before back during the war. Jarael said nothing but you could see by the look on her face she was impressed as well, Niks smirked as he saw real proof that not even his near brush with death had dampened his power. Although his show of connection with the female Jedi was worrying, and he again wondered just what kind of affect the force bond had on the both of them. 

“That won’t last long, that dragon has one of the strongest minds I have ever faced,” Revan cautioned them. “We move and fast, follow me and keep quiet. He added as he led them into the cave, inside he was trying to adjust to how much he had enjoyed the sharing of his mind and hers in return with Bastila. It was a powerful experience and one he wished to feel again, shaking his head he refocused himself. 

Bastila herself was also trying to shake off what she had just experienced. Her body tingled as the last vestiges of the link faded away. “That was amazing,” she whispered so the others didn’t overhear them, since she was still close to his side this was easily accomplished. “A truly unique experience,” she added. 

“Agreed,” Revan replied just as quietly. “Your mind is addictive, the feeling of been linked like that was enjoyable,” he admitted making Bastila smile even though she tried to hide that fact. “We should get the map first, then we can find your father’s remains,” he told her softly which instantly wiped the smile from her face as she remembered why they were here.

They moved straight to the back of the cave where the map was located, locked in a large black sphere. Bastila looked it over wondering how to open it, when Revan raised his hand over it and instantly the object opened, a projection instantly shot out above it. 

“How?” she inquired as she noted the others had stopped a few feet behind them in surprise. 

“They are keyed to mine and Malak’s thought patterns, clearly he has not bothered to try and change my access to them thus proving he was so confident his plan to kill me would work,” Revan answered with a shake of his head. “Over confidence is a weakness and one we can exploit,” he stated. “Mission, copy the data onto this pad while we find Bastila’s father,” he ordered as he handed over the pad and then guided Bastila towards the other side where it looked like the dragon had been nesting. 

Bastila felt a dark foreboding as they began to search through the nest where numerous dead half eaten bodies lay, some were clearly fresh but others had clearly been here for a long while. After a few minutes Bastila let out a cry of despair as she found what she had been looking for, her father lay untouched bar a deep claw wound to his stomach close to the caves wall. He looked peaceful in death she thought as she collapsed to her knees and let out a few sobs. She tried valiantly not to lose complete control and break down as she felt Revan place a comforting hand on her shoulder. Unable to help herself she let her head come to rest against his hand as she finally let go and cried for the loss of her father, the others tried to give them some privacy by moving back towards the cave entrance. 

“We should take him with us and bury him somewhere more fitting,” Revan said softly as he reached over and pulled a cape from one of the bodies and used it to cover Bastila’s father. Bastila stopped him as she reached for the dead man’s belt and removed a satchel that was attached to it. 

Bastila stood somewhat unsteadily before she opened the satchel and removed a small holocube from it. 

Revan glanced at her before he continued wrapping the body in the cape so it covered his face. “My father carried this every day of his life, he was given it as birthday gift when he was three. He recorded every important event in his life including my birth, and his marriage to my mother in it,” she said absently attracting Revan’s attention after he had lifted the corpse over his shoulder. “I wonder what else he recorded in the years I’ve been gone?” she wondered. 

“Come on let’s go before that dragon wakes up and makes a snack out of us,” Revan said softly as he headed towards the others, Bastila watched him go for a few seconds before she followed. “You could always make a copy of it you know and study it as we go, that way both you and your mother would have something of him to remember in the years ahead,” he told her gently. 

Bastila looked slightly surprised at his suggestion before a bright smile lit up her face even as she wiped her tears away, even though she wanted to continue to cry and rage she had managed to regain control of her emotions even if she still felt them within. “Thank you,” she finally replied as they exited the cave and began to climb the dune just as the dragon awoke, letting out an ear splitting roar as it looked around before it turned and re-entered its lair. 

“So, what now?” Jarael asked as they headed back towards the city eager to be off this planet as she did not much care for its hot humid climate. 

“We take this back and first bury Bastila’s father, we then get her mother onto a transport to Manaan and then we get off this hell spawn of a planet,” Revan answered as he kept a close eye on their surroundings. 

“Can’t say I will miss the damn sand,” Jolee said with a grin as he looked forward to been back in space. The others quickly agreed, soon they reached the entrance to the pathway which led back to the city although even as they entered they were watched by the unseen Sand People who had decided to keep a close eye on the visitors until they left the desert.  
21\. Chapter 21  
(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Rikka entered Meetra’s quarters with a pad in her hands, she felt a lot better now that they had redone the count and gotten back a much higher number than before. Someone had clearly messed up before. “General?” she asked as she looked around only to be almost startled by the sudden appearance of the older woman from a dark corner where she had been looking out of the nearby observation window. 

“I’m here Rikka, just lost in thought,” Meetra responded as she moved to the nearby table and poured a brightly colored ale into two glasses from the bottle she had on the table. “Please sit, then we can go over what the recount has found,” she said. 

Rikka nodded and quickly joined her at the table, slid the pad across the table before she reached for her glass and took a small sip from it. She watched as the General slowly read through the pads data, taking another sip from the glass she looked out of the window and wondered just when Revan would return to lead them as she liked most of the others in the fleet were growing restless of hiding and waiting.

“Looks like I was right, whoever did the count before messed up big time,” Meetra said with a relieved sigh gaining Rikka’s attention. “More than likely caused by the aftermath of Malak’s betrayal and the loss of Revan and so many of our other friends, they were probably still in shock when they did the count and not exactly thinking straight,” she mused to which Rikka nodded in agreement. 

“Agreed General, I doubt we can actually blame whoever it was who did do the original count as those were dark days,” she said with a dark and pained look quickly appearing in her eyes. “We lost so much so damn quickly, I probably wouldn’t even be here had not Niks and Jenson pulled me off the old Revenge,” she admitted. “I was consumed with finding Revan’s body and refused to leave. Niks and Jenson all but dragged me off the bridge and to an escape shuttle,” she informed her. 

“Shock, anger, rage, sorrow and grief, we probably went through them all at the same time while trying to survive and make it here, none of us was operating at our best,” she continued with a shake of her head. 

“You did the best you could Rikka, all of you managed to survive and after a time pulled yourselves back together so that when Revan returned he would return to a force ready to gain revenge on their betrayers,” Meetra reassured her before she downed her drink and poured herself a new one.

“Knowing what has happened, I wish I had not left the fleet when I did. I should have stayed and maybe just maybe I could have stopped this from happening,” she admitted bitterly. 

“No one saw Malak coming, even if Revan suspected it was possible he was caught off guard, to committed to the mission,” Rikka argued. “We all were General, so consumed with saving what we had so long fought to defend against the Mandalorians, we had no idea that some of us had begun to doubt and to wish only for personal gain,” she muttered before she downed her own remaining drink and quickly accepted another. “Even had you been there I doubt you would have seen it either General, I know you were perceptive and usually able to discern people’s emotions but forgive me for saying that was before the battle over Malachor V,” she added after a short hesitation as if afraid to mention the final battle of the Mandalorian War. “We don’t know exactly what happened to you after you activated the shadow mass generator, only that it injured you and somehow lessened your connection to the force,” she halted as she noted the dark look that passed over Meetra’s face as she spoke. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have brought it up,” she quickly said not having meant to bring up bad memories. 

“Don’t, while I have not exactly forgotten what happened over that damn place that does not mean I can’t talk about it,” Meetra told her, her tone clipped and angry. “Yes I was injured; my powers all but stripped away and as far as the council was concerned they would never return. They called me a wound in the force and something that offended them by just been in their presence,” she spat remembering that final meeting with the Council. “They were so smug in their judgment especially Atris who took my lightsaber. They exiled me and even took my name from me telling me all records of me would now only refer to me as the Exile,” she explained her tone going from angry to enraged. “Yet even with what I suffered I did not regret my actions. I helped end the war and ensured the Republic survived and no one could take that from me,” she stated as she downed her second drink and poured a third. “My powers are still gone, they might one day return I don’t know, but every now and then I feel a slight hum in the force which keeps me hopeful,” she admitted. “So maybe you are right Rikka, maybe I would not have noticed the changes in Malak or his followers, but perhaps I could have stopped Revan getting captured at the least,” she speculated. 

“That is not guaranteed General, it was chaos when the ambush and then the betrayal happened,” Rikka assured her. “Speculating about how it might have gone is useless for any of us,” she stated. “Perhaps we should go over the new numbers of our fleet and leave more sensitive topics alone for now,” she offered as she downed her second drink and shook her head when Meetra went to pour another. 

“Agreed,” Meetra responded with a quick nod pushing the renewed anger from what had happened to her behind her. “The new count, given what I recall of the fleet when I left, says we are about at a quarter of what we used to have, the rest must be with Malak or destroyed before the betrayal happened,” she mused. 

“Not exactly General, you see there is a third section out there already not counting the true Sith Empire,” Rikka cut her off, looking sheepish for not having mentioned it before. 

“Explain please,” Meetra shot back as she took a half gulp of her third drink. 

“A quarter of our fleet and manpower broke off and set up a base on what was left of Malachor V where they found an abandoned Sith academy called the Trayus Academy. It was led by Revan’s former Master Kreia and two survivors of the last fateful battle. One calling himself Sion and the other chose the name Nihilus. They chose Sith titles for themselves, Kreia became the Lord of Betrayal, Sion became the Lord of Pain and finally Nihilus became the Lord of Hunger, collective they are called the Triumvirate,” she explained. “We don’t know where they stand since the betrayal of Malak as we’ve been too wary of trusting them. How could they have resided in that place filled with what the Jedi in our ranks call the veil of the darkside and not be turned?” she wondered aloud. 

Kreia was someone Meetra had known well during the war, Revan’s former master and one of the few who he truly listened too. She had been a wise if old Jedi and she would have thought her immune to succumbing to the lure of the darkside before she had left the fleet, but as she was learning it seemed no one was immune to the lure of the insidious power of the darkside. 

She wanted to smash her fist through the table, for one of the few times she felt angry at Revan, but not for getting them all involved in this but for daring to let her go when she decided to return to the Republic. She should have been here and she could have talked sense into Revan and maybe she would have seen the darkness that had corrupted Malak and his followers. Perhaps she could have gotten him to act sooner, gotten him to recognize that Alek had been consumed and now wanted him dead and gotten him to kill him before he could betray him. 

“So if they have turned not only could we be facing four individual Sith Lords, but their followers as well?” she clarified before downing the rest of her drink and pouring another and filling up Rikka’s before she could stop her. 

 

“I’m afraid so General. I suppose we could try and scout out Malachor and the academy and try and discern what their status is?” she suggested before she sighed and drank half of her third drink. “No one has heard anything from them since just before Malak betrayed Revan. Anything could have happened to them,” she speculated. “They could be all dead for all we know,” she pointed out. 

“No they are not dead, of that I am certain,” Meetra responded absently unaware that for a brief instant her connection to the force had reopened and that she had sensed the truth of that statement. “But I dare not send anyone near that place, to do so would alert them to our survival and worse Revan’s and until he is back with us we are all too vulnerable,” she stated with a shake of her head as she finished off the last of her forth drink. “If they have turned they would think nothing of attacking and destroying us if they knew we still existed, but with Revan here they may just hesitate thanks to Kreia’s relationship with him as his former master,” she speculated.

“So we stay away?” Rikka asked. 

“Yes we stay clear of that damn place, once Revan is back he might decide to send a scout there to determine just where they stand, but for now as far as we are concerned that world is nothing but a graveyard,” Meetra ordered with certainty as Rikka finished off her drink. “But to finish this off before we get too drunk to care, we have at most 12 thousand if not a little more in ground forces, about half that number in tanks and cannons and other vehicles and at most we have five thousand ships and that includes fighters, transports, battleships, cruisers and destroyers,” she stated with the first smile she had shown since they had begun this discussion. “That is a hell of a lot more than we first believed,” she added. 

“Indeed and I think Revan will be greatly pleased by this news when he finally gets back,” Rikka agreed with a nod and her head. “Now if you will excuse me General, I need to sleep and no offence, but getting drunk is the last thing I need tonight,” she added as she got up and left the room.

Meetra watched her go and just sighed having wished the Twi’lek would have stayed, at least then she would have someone to talk to and distract her from her continued morbid thoughts since been exiled. Pouring herself a fifth drink she stared out the observation window and downed it one go, dropping the glass onto the table she pulled her clothes off and climbed into bed wishing that Revan would return soon as at least with his return she would be too busy to think of matters long past. 

+TR+

(Tatoonie)

Revan stood beside Bastila and her mother as they finished saying their goodbyes to Bastila’s father. They had buried him in a small graveyard just within the city limits, but far enough away from the civilian houses and shops. Bastila had managed to keep her composure however the same could not be said of Helena Shan who wept openly, finally it was time and he and Zayne stepped forward and began to cover the body in sand. Bastila did her best to comfort her mother, but the bitter years she spent separated from her hampered them both, neither knew how to react to the other with so much distrust and anger between them. Mission finally handed over the now copied holocube having downloaded its entire history into a spare holocube they had brought from a nearby junk shop so Bastila could go through them at will. Helena took the cube with a sorrowful look in her eyes. 

“I will miss him in my final months,” Helena whispered in grief.

“Depending on what the doctors find mother you may yet live a little longer than that,” Bastila said as hopefully as she could. “Manaan has made many medical breakthroughs and they may yet discover something to aid you,” she added. 

“We can but hope my dear,” Helena decided to just agree not wanting to spend these last precious minutes with her daughter arguing. “I take it you will not come with me?” she asked with barely concealed hope.

Bastila let out a sigh before she responded. “I can’t mother, as much I would like to at least hear what the doctors have to say, I am needed to help complete the mission we are on and while we may visit Manaan later on it will not be for just a sorely personal visit,” she explained. “We face our most dangerous trip once we depart here, we dare not put it off anymore,” she added. 

Helena looked at the rest of her daughters group and noted looks ranging from confused to worried and she wondered just what her daughter was not saying, still she knew her daughter would not shrink her duties as a Jedi and that at least made her feel proud. “Very well Bastila, just be careful and you,” she said suddenly turning back to face Revan who looked up from his work in surprise. “I expect you to protect my daughter to your dying breath if needed be,” she stated as boldly as she could. 

Bastila looked wide eyed between her mother and Revan who still looked surprised by how she was talking to him, then a smile began to appear on Revan’s face before he broke into another short chuckle which sent another jolt of pleasant tingles through her. She could also feel his amusement through the bond they shared; she glanced at the others and noticed they too were laughing at the situation. She suddenly realized this almost looked like her mother telling her boyfriend off had they been ordinary citizens, and at that she blushed as she admitted she would not have minded Revan as her boyfriend. 

“This is not a laughing matter young man,” Helena growled as Revan finally got his amusement under control. 

“No it is not Mrs. Shan,” Revan agreed with a nod of his head. “And I assure you that your daughters safety is my highest priority bar the completing of the mission we are current engaged in and I say that because if we do not succeed in our mission there will be no point in any of us surviving to see what comes should we fail,” he assured her as seriously as he could. 

Bastila felt the certainty of his words flow through the bond and knew he meant every word he had just spoken, beyond the mission her safety was indeed his highest priority as he had not only given his word to safeguard her, but as he had admitted he had feelings for her and strong ones at that. Feelings she was returning more and more as time passed, but her mother didn’t need to know about that she decided. All her mother needed to do was to get to Manaan and get well again, hopefully by that time they will have succeed in their mission and Malak and his followers would be nothing but dark memories, but then she remembered that Revan was hiding something from her and the others something that went beyond their problems with Malak. She frowned wondering yet again about the truth he was keeping to himself. He had told her he would tell her and soon, but so far he had not brought it up again. 

“Well, just see that you do keep her safe or I will hunt you down once I am well again,” Helena warned him as she turned away and walked back towards the main group. Revan smiled again and shook his head before going back to covering the grave. 

Once the grave was fully covered Zayne moved to the side and picked up a wooden cross with Kail Shan carved into it and plunged it just above the grave, then he and Revan both backed off and bowed their heads before turning and joining the others. 

“We should head to the spaceport and see Mrs. Shan to her shuttle and then we can finally depart this dust ball of a planet ourselves,” Revan said to which the others all nodded. 

“I want to thank you for finding Kail’s body and bringing it back along with his holocube,” Helena said as she walked beside her daughter. “And knowing you now have a copy of it as well, well at least I know you’ll come to realize we did not forget you in the years you’ve been gone,” she said with a smile. 

“You are welcome mother, I find myself oddly anxious to begin looking through the data,” Bastila admitted. “To have even a little piece of the life I was destined never to have,” she added, looking reluctant to say it but pushing herself to complete the sentence.

“You may not have been destined for a normal life Bastila, but the life you do have is far from a bad one, you are a proud and respected Jedi who is critical to the Republic’s survival,” Helena reassured her suddenly unsure daughter. “Kail and I are very proud of the woman you have become, and let us not forget you seem to have found yourself a good man in the bargain even if your stupid Jedi code forbids such things,” she added with a short smile which quickly vanished as she finished the sentence. 

Instantly Bastila fought to contain her blush and Revan who was walking only a few feet from them fought the urge to burst out laughing again, as he knew that would only cause Bastila more embarrassment. Still he found it amusing that Bastila’s mother had seemed to have discerned that something was happening between him and her daughter. He decided however now was not the time to push Bastila as she had only just buried her father. Romance could wait, they had plenty of things to do in the meantime and there were also his unresolved feelings for Meetra to work through. By now he was certain both she and Rikka had been informed of where things stood by Melkor. He didn’t know how Meetra would have received the news of his force bond with Bastila. Hell he didn’t know if Meetra still had any feelings of that nature for him, it was possible she had moved on, but he found a part of him hoped not which just damn right confused him.

“Mother, whatever is happening I can’t discuss it,” Bastila finally managed to stutter out in a much quieter voice. “And yes the code does forbid such attachments,” she agreed although she left out that she more and more resented and disagreed with that code the more time she spent with Revan and saw things with her own two eyes. 

Coming on this mission had been a real eye opening experience and she could finally see how Revan and all those who had followed him had finally fully rebelled from the Council. She could see how they could come to resent and in some cases even hate them for their short sightedness. What she had seen on Kashyyk had shown that the Council was not always right, that their orders could be misguided and if Revan was to be believed and she did believe him, having sensed no lie from him, they could be vindictive as well. Arriving at the spaceport the group came to a halt as Bastila and Revan accompanied Helena to her designated transport which Carth and Jaks had arranged for her after they got her false identity chip. 

“It has been a pleasure meeting you Mrs. Shan. I’m sorry your reunion with your daughter had to happen just as she lost her father and you your husband, but I am certain that he was a strong and capable man to have had such a brave daughter,” Revan said as he came to a halt. His words almost made Bastila blush again as she felt his honesty through the bond which he had been curiously leaving open since they linked to lure the Krayt Dragon out of the cave. If he kept this up she knew that any resistance to finally admitting and accepting her feelings for Revan would be swiftly overcome. “I hope your trip to Manaan proves successful,” he added as he walked away before Helena could respond clearly to give them space to say goodbye.

“No matter what you say Bastila if the next time we see each other you two are not together I will eat Kail’s holocube,” Helena stated semi-seriously almost causing Bastila to giggle at the imagery her words provoked. “I hope if I should find a miracle on Manaan that we can try and stay in contact and perhaps correct our relationship,” she offered hopefully. 

“I think I would like to try Mother, I have lost father without ever been able to say goodbye or even just to see him again and I can’t fathom the same happening with you,” Bastila admitted feeling once again the pain of losing her father without seeing him one more time even after all the time they had been separated. 

“Then our parting is a good one my dear, go and complete you mission just be safe and try and be as happy as possible,” Helena said in response. “Don’t let Kail’s death spoil your future. He will always be with you in spirit, till we meet again my daughter farewell,” she added grasping her daughters hand for a few seconds before she let go and boarded the transport. 

“Farewell Mother,” Bastila whispered as she watched the last few people board the transport before it closed its doors and departed. She watched it until it vanished into the clouds and from there into space. She wished her mother well and hoped that the news would be good when they met again.

“You okay Bastila?” Mission asked as she rejoined the group and headed to the bay where their ship was held. 

“Not really, but in time I will be,” Bastila responded wanting nothing more than to board the Ebon Hawk and escape to her quarters where she could mourn her father and begin to go through the holocron Mission had copied from her Father’s original. 

Just as they entered the bay Revan came to a complete halt as his senses went on full alert. The bay was completely empty. His hand went straight for his lightsaber only for him to be hit full in the chest by a powerful stunner. The others reacted, but as with Revan were too slow, each of them was hit with multiple blasts taking the entire company down within a few moments. Canderous was the last to fall grumbling as he noted a Hutt near the entrance. He was watching along with one of the mechanics, but he could do nothing as he sank into oblivion. 

The Hutt rumbled in laughter as he watched as the females were taken, their weapons and belongings left behind next to their male companions. They would make good slaves he thought especially the beautiful female human Jedi and the Arkanian offshoot, in fact he intended to have them for his personal harem. The others he would sell in due time, turning he led his men back to his base of operations which was a cantina just on the outskirts of the city. 

The mechanic looked around at the mess and prayed the rather ample sum he had been paid would be enough to get him out of his debt, before he could turn and leave a hand grabbed him from behind and shoved him hard up against the wall. His eyes widened as he realized that somehow the leader of the group he had just ratted on and helped subdue had awoken faster than believed, his eyes seemed to burn with malice. 

“How? You should have been stunned for a while,” the man stuttered in shock.

“I was able to raise a force shield when I realized we were in danger, I guess it might have slipped your mind you were dealing with Jedi,” Revan spat in response, making the man shiver in fright. 

“I had to do it,” the man tried to say but Revan cut him right off. 

“That was a stupid thing to do, you just signed your death warrant but before you die you will tell me where they have taken her and the others or I will make you end last days,” Revan warned as the darkness he had long kept at bay finally found a escape: in his anger and rage at Bastila’s capture he had let lose all of his repressed anger. 

“I had to do it I needed the money or I was going to get killed,” the man said in blind panic trying to once again get his side across. “I was in debt and the Hutt offered me a way out of it,” he admitted.

Revan’s rage increased as he learned one of the Hutt’s were behind this, his eyes began to take on an even eerie glow of malice and the man lost control of himself and wet himself as he stared into those unblinking eyes. “Tell me where they are or suffer forever,” he spat as he heard groaning from behind him telling him the others were beginning to wake up. 

“The outskirts of town in a cantina called the Dune’s Dusk. It’s a shady place filled with that Hutt’s men, far too many for you,” the man finally said, giving in as he felt a pain in his chest where the man held him pinned to the wall. “He’s untouchable,” he stated. 

“Wrong,” Revan responded before he used the force to crush the man’s ribs and all but ignored his agonized cries as he died slowly. Turning he noted Canderous was up rubbing his head and grumbling, he walked over to HK and quickly set about reactivating his droid as he noted the stunner blast had knocked his circuits offline.

“The women,” Zayne shouted as he came too in alarm. 

“Taken, but not for long, get Carth and the others on board the Ebon Hawk as well as the girl’s weapons and belongings,” Revan ordered in a tone that broke no dissent. “Canderous, Niks, HK and I will take care of this,” he said as he finally succeeded in getting HK back online

“But Jarael?” Zayne began to argue, but Revan quickly cut him off. 

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get her, but you do not want any part of what comes next Zayne,” Revan told him bluntly. “You are not a killer, you are a defender,” he stated looking the younger man in the eyes. “Stay and protect the ship and the others, keep them here and we will be back with the women including Jarael. I promise,” he swore as he stood with Canderous quickly following as Niks finally came round. Clearly each had been stunned either once like Revan or more than once and in some occasions more than twice, so they were coming too at different times. “Niks front and centre, we have some slaver scum to deal with,” he ordered to the other man, all friendliness gone and Niks instantly responded to the tone.

“Yes General,” without even thinking about it causing Canderous to look between them in surprise and then suspicion, but he realized this was not the time to ask thus kept his questions to himself. 

“HK, get to the cantina called Dune’s Dusk on the outskirts of the city. Kill any guards in front of it and wait for us to arrive,” Revan ordered as he turned to his droid.

“Pleased statement: With pleasure Master,” HK eagerly responded before it took it’s blaster off its back and quickly departed. 

“What are you going to do?” Zayne asked torn between dread and acceptance that something dark was about to happen. 

“We are going to kill them all and get Bastila and the others back, no one not even the Hutt will leave for this,” Revan answered as he turned and exited the bay with Canderous and Niks close behind. 

Zayne watched them go with a sigh, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop them, and considering Jarael had been taken as well he was in no mood to plead for mercy especially not for a Hutt who intended to make his intended his slave. He set out getting T3 to open up the ship and getting the women’s belongings into it, before activating his lightsaber and waiting for the others to come around.  
22\. Chapter 22  
(Leviathan)

Malak awoke in alarm as he felt a cold dark shift in the force slam into him, it was even worse than the last shift he had felt. This felt similar, but far darker and it wasn’t even aimed at him as the last one had. Still he felt it ring out all through the force. If he was honest he felt slightly unsettled by how angry Revan had to be to send such waves through the force. He was certain nearly anyone who was sensitive to the force would have felt it. It made one thing perfectly clear now and wiped out all doubt as to Revan’s status. He was alive and he was still himself no matter what the Jedi had tried to do to him. That made him realize that when they met again he would need all the advantages he could get, hence taking Dorak and the other prisoners when he did had been the best thing he could do as it would help him in his next meeting with Revan. 

A meeting he knew would end in one of them dying, if he was lucky and could arrange it so he could lure Revan to the secret chamber he had discovered on the Star Forge then he was certain he would be the one walking away from Revan’s corpse. Smiling he closed his eyes and settled back on his bed, yes the future would be bright as long as he could set the stage for their next meeting.

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Vima stared at the chaos the sudden upheaval in the force had caused. The council had been in a late night session to discuss the loss of Dantoonie. The news of the attack had reached them as soon as the defense fleet, which had escaped from the battle, had reported it. 

Dorak and all who had stayed with him were more than likely dead although they could not verify that. The council had refused to send anyone to attempt to reach the planet to attempt an infiltration to find out, it was a call she had argued against as just leaving Dorak and the others to their fate seemed cruel. But then considering they had chosen to do the same to her daughter and her team it should have come as no surprise. That they would all but sacrifice a council member showed the real changes the Jedi had undergone since this had all begun. Then suddenly a wave of anger and rage had swept through the force making them all cry out in alarm, none of the others bar her and Zhar had a clue who could have caused it and thankfully Atris had yet to try and blame it on Revan as she was too unnerved by the force of the disturbance. 

Something had happened on Tatoonie that had pushed Revan past his limits on control. She just prayed he regained himself once it was dealt with. She also hoped nothing bad had happened to Bastila and the others who accompanied Revan, she just could not shake the feeling that Bastila’s presence near Revan would be crucial in the times ahead. 

“Enough, clearly someone has fallen and we felt his corruption or someone who is already corrupted just unleashed his rage for reasons we can but speculate,” Zirrik stated as loudly as he could.

“Could something have happened to Bastila and her party?” Kavar inquired with a thoughtful if concerned look on his face. 

“I did not get a feel where this disturbance came from so we can’t jump to conclusion,s but I feel we should make contact with Bastila and her party and get a status report,” Vrook responded as he shared a brief glance with Atris.

“In this I agree, while we have voted not to recall them due to the danger of our time running out to resist Malak successfully I do believe we should keep closer contact with Bastila and her charge,” Zez agreed with a nod of his head as did Vandar which was a surprise. 

“Great danger Bastila and her party face. Be reminded of her duty she may need,” Vandar said thoughtfully. “Seen before we have Jedi away from the temple too long begin to forget and forge new ideas and views which conflict with our teachings,” he pointed out. “Happened to Revan and Malak and all those who followed them it did,” he reminded them.

“We can ill afford to lose Bastila or the unknowing Revan,” Zhar agreed and here Vima was pleased to see he was keeping his word and not saying anything about Revan’s survival. “They are our only hope of finding and destroying the Star Forge and maybe equaling the odds we face,” he added. 

“I still say it is a mistake to trust the puppet we made out of Revan if indeed we did succeed in doing that,” Atris spat unable to hold her tongue any longer. “Has it not occurred to you that the disturbance we just felt was Revan himself, that he has somehow found his way back and realized what we tried to do to him?” she inquired looking at each of them in turn. 

Vima and Zhar both did their best to look as unsure and skeptical as the others as Atris’s gaze swept over them, she knew they had to be very careful here or they might just slip up and give Atris all she would need to recall Bastila and Revan and possibly kill any hope she had of getting help for her daughter. 

“This again Atris?” Vima stated with faked disbelief. “You seem unable to focus your mind on anything but Revan even though he no longer exists. You seem unable to let his memory go and I begin to question your grip on reality,” she stated and this time she was entirely serious. “Why will you not let it go, is there something about your relationship with Revan that we do not know that makes it so you cannot let him go?” she inquired. 

Atris looked first shocked at her accusation and then enraged, Vrook looked to be in disbelief that Vima had dared ask such a question while the others bar Zhar did not seem to know what to think. 

“You dare?” Atris spat. “I would never violate the code Vima. I have always been loyal and I refuse to let go of the subject of Revan because I still believe while his body lives he remains a threat, no matter how slim it might be he did survive our attempts to destroy him,” she all but ranted. 

“You should know better than to throw accusations around Vima that does not help us,” Zirrik reprimanded her with a shake of his head. “Atris is a valued member of this council, and while I agree she does seem somewhat hung up on Revan’s memory and possible survival, I see no harm in keeping an eye out,” he argued with a sigh. “No matter what we agreed last time, we can ill afford the very idea of Revan coming back onto the board at this late stage, we have enough problems dealing with Malak,” he stated. 

“Who’s to say that if Revan did indeed survive he would be a problem for us?” Lonna asked out of the blue causing the entire council to turn to look at her in shock. “Do recall Malak tried to kill him, worse than that he shot him in the back when he least expected it. If Revan were somehow to come back I would think he would concern himself with getting revenge on Malak and that would buy us some time to bolster our ranks and redeploy our forces,” she explained when she took note of the looks been sent her way. 

“Whilst I hesitate to even contemplate Revan’s return I cannot help but agree with Vash on that point. He would want revenge and that may just take Malak’s attention of the Republic and us and give us much needed time to reorganize,” Kavar admitted. “But I still concur with our previous agreement that Revan is gone and no longer a threat. To believe otherwise I believe is unhealthy, as it seems to me Atris is almost obsessed with this idea,” he continued with a shrug.

“Not obsessed just extremely wary,” Atris shot back with a glare. “Still even I have to admit revenge would be on Revan’s mind, but the question you should then ask is would he want revenge more on Malak for almost killing him or on us for trying to destroy him right after that?” she argued with a dark look still marring her features. 

“An interesting but pointless question, I think for now we should call it a night,” Zhar stated. “We are all tired and we still have yet to discuss the full ramifications of losing the Dantoonie Enclave or the planet as a whole. We have also yet to discuss who will take Dorak’s seat on the council until we can confirm his death or rescue him if possible,” he reminded them all. “I think it best we do that with clear heads,” he added looking around and noting he had successfully gained their attention away from the subject of Revan’s possible survival. 

“I agree, Dorak has been a member of this council for a long time and a friend to us all, beside that the matter of his seat will have to be addressed,” Vrook agreed with a nod of his head. “Better to do it with a good night’s sleep, and not clouded by possible fears and left over anger at events past,” he went on before he got up and left. 

That seemed to be the signal the others were waiting for and each of the council quickly got up and left, heading for their own quarters. Only Zirrik remained, due to his continuing ill health he couldn’t move quickly and had to wait for his aide to come and help him. While waiting he wondered yet again about the source of the disturbance. Was it Malak or heaven forbid Revan or was it possible something worse, something new? He wondered. Finally his aide arrived and helped him stand and slowly they headed for his quarters, he knew he had little time left and would have to begin to think about who would succeed him. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra awoke in a cold sweat and it took a few minutes for her to calm herself and realize what it was that had awoken her, it was not a dream nor a nightmare. She had felt for the first time since the battle of Malachor V her full connection to the force come to life, for that one instant she had felt herself again and she recalled just what it was that had caused it. Something had angered Revan beyond his control, she knew he was well versed in keeping control of himself in nearly any situation, but there were times he lost himself and let the darkness that resided in them all free reign. 

She didn’t know what had happened to make him do so now, but she did know someone was going to die and painfully at that. She wished she was by his side as then at least she could keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t go too far or they may lose him to the same madness that had consumed Malak and then there would be no hope for them all. Laying back down she hoped Bastila Shan was up to the task of pulling Revan back from the brink. That she could use the force bond she had been gifted to help him find his way back into control of himself. 

+TR+

(Dune’s Dusk)

Bastila shivered alongside Jarael, Mission and Juhani as they were pushed into the backroom of the main cantina where a disgusting Hutt sat on a raised platform, it seemed to be smoking something form a pipe and its eyes were greedily on her and Jarael more than Mission and Juhani. That did not bode well for them she thought in revulsion. 

Revan had warned her that this planet was dangerous and that the Hutts would not waste an opportunity to capture and try to enslave them. But she had let her guard down, when Revan sent down stunned she was shocked by the attack as the bond they shared seemed to vanish and before she could act she was already hit. The only hope they had was that Revan and the others came too faster than believed or they would have no idea where to look for them, and she did not know if the bond would allow them to communicate over long distance. 

“Welcome slaves,” the Hutt greeted them before releasing a chuckle and a lord of smoke from its large mouth. “I am your new Master, Braka the Hutt,” he told them.

“I am no one’s slave, least of all yours Hutt,” Juhani spat in intense anger and Bastila suddenly recalled what Revan had told her of Juhani’s childhood spent as a slave to a vile slaver and she guessed this was something her fellow Jedi would not accept lightly. “I am a Jedi, if you do not let us go you will bring great trouble down on yourself,” she warned. 

The Hutt and the entire group who watched including his mercenary guards, slave girls and other hanger on’s all burst out laughing making Juhani madder. “Your precious order does not bother with us or our ways, we’ve kidnapped and enslaved others of your kind who have come here, never have the Jedi come to punish us as we are outside their so called jurisdiction,” Braka stated before breaking into another chuckle. 

Bastila felt like there was ice in her veins as he said this because she recalled back on Kashyyk Revan saying almost the same thing, only without implying other Jedi had fallen foul of these creatures. It was a sickening realization to come to that the council must have written off those Jedi who were captured, either thinking them dead or writing them off due to some barbaric view of where their jurisdiction ended. 

Revan had been right, the Jedi were blind to things outside what they classed as their purview and she cursed them for it. Suddenly the bond she shared with Revan reopened and she was almost overwhelmed by the extreme rage she felt coming from Revan. No, not just rage she realized. He had unleashed all his anger, rage, and hatred, everything he had been keeping locked inside since his betrayal by Malak. He had turned it into a weapon and tapped into the dark side as he had a few times before she realized as images poured through the bond. He was coming to free them and he was intent on killing the Hutt and everyone who worked for him. She tried to make sure he understood there were other slaves here, but whether she succeeded or not, she did not know. 

“You’ve made a very big mistake by taking us Braka,” she said as boldly as she dared. “We are not alone, our friends are coming for us and the leader of our group is the wrong man to anger,” she told him. 

“Your threats amuse me, your friends will be stunned for some time and when they awaken they will not know where you’ve been taken,” Braka responded calmly before taking another long puff on his pipe. “Tatoonie is a big planet and we could have taken you anywhere, no they will leave you here in fear because no one would dare to even threaten me,” he explained after blowing the smoke out of his mouth. “I am cousin to one of the great Lords of the Hutt clans, I am untouchable,” he told them proudly. “I will sell the young Twi’lek and the one who dares try and intimidate me by claiming to be Jedi, but you and the offshoot will spend the rest of your lives pleasuring me,” he informed with greedy eyes. “I will break both of your wills and you will submit and serve as do my other harem slaves,” he added confidently. “I will take great pleasure from your bodies,” he finished, making both Bastila and Jarael shudder with both revulsion and fear. 

“No you won’t, by taking us you have awoken and provoked the Lord of Revenge and he will kill you and all your men,” Bastila said, using Revan’s Sith title as she knew right in this instant he was indeed just that, the Lord of Revenge. “It will not be pretty or quick, it will be bloody and filled with pain,” she stated, her face devoid of any emotion as she allowed Revan’s own darkness fill her and give her the strength to stay in control. 

“I will take you first, your taunts annoy me,” Braka growled in sudden anger. “Strip her and put her into something more fetching,” he ordered to his attendants. 

Bastila instantly stiffened as the two females and one male aides moved towards her.,Sshe braced herself to resist any way she could when suddenly a large explosion shook the entire cantina and she could not help but smile. “He is here, you are doomed,” she stated to the Hutt who looked stunned, his base was under attack. 

+TR+

(Outside Dune’s Dusk, three minutes ago)

Revan led his small team straight to the cantina ignoring everything but getting to his destination. An aura of malice seemed to surround him making everyone who saw them run in the other direction. Finally they arrived outside the cantina the Hutt was using for his base, four dead guards already lay near the door, multiple blaster shots covered their bodies. Before anyone could say anything HK stepped out of the shadows and greeted them, its eyes glowed almost a fiery red and Canderous had multiple flashbacks of seeing it during the war. 

“Statement: The entrance to the cantina is secure Master, these pathetic meat bags proved to be little trouble,” HK reported. 

“Good HK now set a plasma mine right next to the doors. We are going to blow these doors right in to cause shock and surprise,” Revan ordered while he explained the plan. “We kill all the guards and servants inside, if you come across any slaves free them but apart from that spare no one,” he told them. 

“Understood General,” Niks replied with a nod as he checked his blaster pistol before pulling his lightsaber and readied himself for combat. 

“I can get behind that, but when this is over we are going to have a long overdue talk,” Canderous stated as he readied his blaster cannon. 

“Statement: Mine will detonate in one minute Master,” HK reported as the droid moved back to their side. 

Revan just nodded and pulled Bastila’s lightsaber as well as his own, having picked it up before leaving and activating both. The only thing he missed was his mask, but he quickly pushed that thought away. The doors exploded inwards with a large cloud of sand been blown up from the explosion, he snarled before he charged inside with the others following close behind.

+TR+

(Dune’s Dusk)

Braka immediately ordered his guards to kill whoever it was who dared to enter his domain to threaten him. 

Bastila could all but taste the darkness Revan had cloaked himself in as he cut down two guards who ran at him. The bond was more alive than at any time bar the joining in the desert to coerce the dragon out of the cave. She could see what Revan saw if she focused enough. She glanced at the others and nodded at them. Mission began to smile as she realized the others had come for them and she almost wanted to cry in relief. Jarael let out a relived sigh, she had almost been made someone’s harem slave once before and she did not like the idea any more than she had back then. Juhani fumed wishing she had her lightsaber so she could cut a deep hole in this damn vile Hutt for even daring to try and make a slave out of her again. She had suffered that fate once before as a child and she had sworn when she was rescued by Revan and taken to the Jedi never to suffer it again even if it meant her death. 

Revan thrust his hand out and unleashed a barrage of force lightening as a group of mercenary guards charged down the corridor. It struck them before they could even raise their blasters. They screamed in agony as they dropped their weapons and began to jerk around as the power washed over them, intensifying the power he watched dispassionately as they began to burn as they dropped to the ground their bodies jerking into some painful positions. Beside him Canderous and HK blasted away as guards tried to come at them from the flanks, neither of them even tried to wound and instead went for the kill shot thus blowing holes through the men’s chests close to their hearts and causing blood to spew everywhere. 

Revan suddenly twisted as a hidden doorway opened and a hired mercenary charged out, the bolts from his blaster missed him by a thin margin and he lashed out with both lightsabers decapitating the man. Niks moved to cover the door and quickly shook his head that there was no one else inside, HK and Canderous moved up as they heard more footfalls approaching. 

“Hold here and kill everyone who comes at you, but do not get reckless,” Revan ordered as he indicated Niks to enter the hidden passage who nodded in agreement. He then turned and hurried through the passage, behind them Canderous slammed the door shut and then took cover as did HK and prepared for the oncoming charge as the footfalls got closer. 

A dozen guards finally appeared only to be met with a hail of blaster fire, the first line and most of the second fell in seconds, the bodies smoking from the blaster wounds. A few were only wounded badly enough that they could only lay and scream in pain, the remaining second line and third pulled back, giving Canderous and HK time to replace their ammo packs. The remaining guards of the second line took cover and prepared to try and pin their attackers down so the rest could overwhelm them. 

Canderous seeing this smirked and pulled a thermal detonator and once armed threw it at where the guards were, the explosion was huge and multiple mutilated bodies were flung in all directions. Blood covered the hall and screams echoed of the dying. HK took that moment to charge forward and gun down the milling survivors as they staggered through the smoke filled remains of the explosion. Canderous quickly followed and opened up his cannon again watching in satisfaction as the guards fell as the blaster bolts ripped through them leaving bloody holes all over their bodies. It was over in a few moments as none of the guards could regroup or pull back out of range fast enough, the last fell when his head was pierced in an explosion of blood and brains. 

“Useless sods, never heard of proper ambush tactics,” Canderous spat in disgust as he looked over the corpses. “Probably grown fat and lazy bullying the locals, never taken on a real challenge,” he mused as he started to walk deeper into the cantina.

“Statement: It is my experience that you meat bags are easily killed in any circumstances, there are a rare few who defy that experience such as the Master,” HK responded as it quickly shot its blaster to the right and Canderous heard a scream of pain and then the thud of a body hitting the floor. 

+TR+

Revan followed Niks out of the passage and entered a room that looked like it was set up for entertaining private parties and it had seven guards within it, before the guards could react both Niks and Revan jumped at cutting two of them down before they understood what was happening. The guards tried to bring up their blasters, but were easily cut down by the flashing blades of the their opponents lightsabers, each fell with cauterized wounds as they lost limbs or were cut almost in half. 

Once the guards were dead Revan reached out with his senses and easily found Bastila. She was close and relatively calm, frowning he wondered why and then he understood she had embraced his darkness through the bond and used it to strengthen her own resolve. Smirking he headed straight for her, cutting down two more guards as they rushed him, he paid no attention to their bodies as they fell to the floor, nor the sounds of blaster fire coming from the left side of the cantina although Niks quickly turned and left to help Canderous and HK knowing Revan needed no help now. 

Revan stormed into the main cantina where the Hutt sat on a large sled with nine heavily armed guards surrounding him, in front of them they held, Juhani, Mission and Jarael. What really drove his anger to new heights was the sight of Bastila been forced to stand next to the Hutt who trailed its slimy hands over her body. The look on Bastila’s face said it all, if she could she would not hesitate to cut the Hutt in half. His eyes already holding nothing but malice began to glow as he tapped into more of the dark side and prepared his attack. Linking his mind to Bastila’s he urged her to use her battle meditation to slip the odds in his favor. Bastila almost jumped when she felt Revan touch her mind with his suggestion, yet she did not hesitate and quickly activated the power she had used to keep the Republic safe. 

Only this time she used it to help Revan alone. Snarling he force jumped behind the guards holding Jarael, Mission and Juhani and even as they turned to face him he slashed his lightsabers across in a cutting arc slicing each of their heads off. This released the three women who quickly rushed out of the line of fire. Revan turned to face a barrage of blaster fire as the other guards opened fire on him however their aim seemed to be off and each one missed and he knew Bastila’s power was indeed aiding him. He charged in and cut left and right taking down four more of the guards, impaling the last straight through the heart. He turned to face the remaining two who guards and the Hutt. They now pointed their blasters at Bastila’s head, growling low in his throat he tried to see the path that would secure her safety. 

“Drop your weapons Jedi or the woman dies,” Braka demanded in outrage as well as a little fear after seeing his guards disposed of so easily. Around them the various slaves watched the confrontation in awe and long forgotten hope of been freed. 

“The Lord of the Revenge does not take orders,” Revan responded darkly as he prepared to move, his eyes strayed to Bastila’s who watched him calmly and with complete trust. “You shouldn’t have attacked us, and more to the point you should not have taken our friends,” he stated in a cold icy tone which made the Hutt attempt to back away although he could go nowhere whilst on his sled.

At that moment HK and Canderous appeared and blasted both of the remaining guards with shots aimed straight at their heads. Bastila having been ready for some time to move when the time came ripped herself away from the Hutt’s slimy hands and rolled out of the way giving Revan his chance as he dived forward. 

“NOOOOO wait,” Braka tried to reason with him. 

But Revan refused to listen as he buried both of his lightsabers into the Hutt’s giant belly and then ripped them upwards, ignoring the stench of burning flesh he continued until he had ripped the body in two. He stepped back as the Hutt collapsed into two pieces. The stench now filled the whole room and Bastila tried not to gag as she got back to her feet. She felt no guilt at the Hutt’s death considering what he wanted to do to her and Jarael and for wanting to sell Juhani and Mission as if they were little more than cattle. She felt no guilt at the deaths of the guards who had aided the Hutt in attacking their party and capturing them, but she refused to see Revan kill the slaves left alive who had seen what they had done to their former Master. She could feel the darkness continue to pulse inside Revan and knew instinctually that it was up to her to bring Revan back to himself, to make him regain control. 

The question was how, glancing at the cowering slaves as Revan turned towards them with blood lust in his eyes, she quickly made a choice while also finally admitting that she had fallen for Revan and decided to give into the temptation to do something she had been long forbidden to do. 

Marching forward she got in Revan’s way and grabbing his head she pulled him down until his mouth met hers and she kissed him for all she was worth, pushing her growing feelings and lustful thoughts down the bond she pushed her body up against Revan’s, molding it to his. 

The pure exhilaration running through her body as she kissed Revan was beyond anything she had experienced before, she felt more alive than she had ever before. Emotions she had long kept tightly controlled rushed forwards and overcame her senses, she lost track of time and place and Revan finally seemed to respond and pull her even closer making her breasts push up against his chest. She could not help but moan at the pleasure she felt at even that small intimacy, she felt Revan finally snap out of his blood lust and the darkness recede as what she had done finally filtered into his brain and she could feel his utter surprise and enjoyment at the way she had chosen to help him regain his control. She wanted the moment to last forever, but she reminded herself this was not the time. They had a lot to talk about before they went anywhere further and thus reluctantly she broke the kiss and backed away and she was relieved that he let her.

Revan was still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened, Bastila had just kissed him and it was no fake kiss designed just to get his attention. No it had held burning passion and a desire to unleash her long held emotions. He had felt her body crush itself against his own and his body had responded. God he had to focus hard to force his natural reaction back as Bastila finally backed away from him. Still it was the first major sign that she was beginning to turn her back on the code and embrace her emotions to allow them free reign. He could see the latent desire in her eyes as she pulled back, but he decided not to press her as he could tell she was not ready to do more than she had done so already. 

“Are you back?” she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“I am, HK find the security room and destroy all evidence of us having been here,” Revan ordered after he responded to her question with a smile that almost made her blush. “Canderous release all the slaves, they know better than to say what went on here. They can have whatever money they can find to help them find new lives or to get off the damn planet,” he added to which the Mandalorian nodded and quickly set about doing. “We’ll need to burn this place to the ground before we leave, so there is no evidence of what really happened to this damn Hutt and thus no trail leads to us,” he mused. 

“I can deal with that easily,” Canderous responded as he freed another slave, a female Twi’lek who thanked him by kissing him hard before rushing from the room. “Go I’ll meet you by the entrance,” he urged them.

Revan nodded and grabbed Bastila’s hand and pulled her along, Mission, Jarael and Juhani followed all with varying expressions on their faces. None of them knew how to fully put into context what had happened to them or what they had just witnessed not only Jaks do, but also the passionate and forbidden kiss between him and Bastila. Juhani more than anyone knew what would happen if the council ever found out what had happened between the two. She wondered just when Bastila had begun to harbor feelings towards Jaks, still it was not her business and she trusted her comrades would not allow their personal feelings to get in the way of their duty. They found HK waiting for them at the exit with its blaster raised and ready just in case, coming to a stop they turned and waited for Canderous. 

“Pleased statement Master: The security system is destroyed as you commanded, there will be no trace of our presence here,” HK reported sounding almost satisfied. 

“Excellent work HK,” Revan responded with a nod of his head before taking note of a bunch of cloaks on a nearby table, an idea instantly hit him. “Here put these cloaks on and make sure no one see’s your faces,” Revan responded as he passed them out. He supposed these had been the guard’s cloaks, but they no longer had a need for them. Canderous soon arrived and Revan instantly threw him a cloak before leading them outside and quickly away from the cantina. They were almost at the space port when a large explosion rocked the city. Revan glanced back as did the others as people began to scream and point, they however turned and continued onwards to the space port. 

“What did you do?” Juhani inquired of Canderous. 

“Oh I just overloaded as many of the blasters as I could as well as arm a few thermal detonators, should ensure no one finds out how that piece of shit slaver and his goons died,” Canderous answered with a dark grin. 

They finally reached the space port and headed directly to the bay where the Ebon Hawk was. 

Revan pulled his com unit from his belt and ordered the ramp opened. Once it was open they noted Zayne and Jolee came running down to greet them. Zayne instantly enveloped Jarael in a hug and a deep loving kiss. 

“Time for that later Zayne, we have to leave now,” Bastila said as she rushed up the ramp with Mission and Juhani, Revan waited until the others followed and then boarded as well. 

“Carth, get us the hell of this damn planet now,” Revan shouted into the intercom as he closed the ramp and backed away from the exit relieved to be finally getting off this damn planet. 

“You okay kid?” Jolee asked as he turned around and noted the old Jedi was watching him with some concern as was Bastila herself. 

“I’m good old man, just need time to re-centre myself,” Revan responded as he finally handed Bastila back her lightsaber to which she smiled in gratitude. “Tapping into the dark side and unleashing my rage can be dangerous if I do not re-centre my force aura. Niks, once we are clear of Tatoonie relive Carth, you know where to take us,” he ordered before he turned and headed for his quarters.

“Will he be okay?” Mission inquired.

“In time Mission yes, to rescue us he had to unleash that side of himself that we all keep chained and for Jedi that is a dangerous thing to do,” Bastila responded reassuringly while Jolee rubbed his chin in thought. 

“I hope you’re right girl. We can’t afford to lose him to the same darkness as Malak,” Jolee finally said after Mission had retreated to her room as well. 

“We won’t Jolee, it’s my destiny to keep him in the light and dedicated to his mission,” Bastila responded almost absently and seemed to not even realize what she had said before she too retired to her room leaving Jolee to consider her words for some time to come.  
23\. Chapter 23  
(Ebon Hawk)

Revan sat cross-legged as he meditated and quickly regained his control over his emotions, strangely he felt it easier than he had expected considering just how deeply he had dug into the dark side during the rescue. He wondered if it had anything to do with his growing connection to Bastila, especially after the passionate kiss she had used to help break the dark side’s grip on him. Even now he felt the press of her lips as well as her body against his own like a phantom. The door to his quarters suddenly opening gained his attention and he watched unsurprised as Canderous stepped inside. The big Mandalorian looked contemplative, but didn’t show any signs of aggression so he relaxed somewhat but decided to push himself into a standing position. 

“I think it’s time we had that long overdue talk Jaks. If that is in fact your name,” Canderous stated calmly as he crossed his arms across his chest and stared at the other man watching closely for any signs of falsehood. 

“I think it is indeed,” Revan agreed with a nod of his head. “What is it you believe you know?” he suddenly asked wanting to know just what Canderous believed to be the truth. 

“You are not Jaks Toulon if he even exists in the first place, you are Revan and if not him then you are one of his closest Generals considering the way Niks responded to your orders before we hit that cantina,” Canderous stated, boldly matching Revan’s stare. “He called you General more than once as if he had been doing it for years. He didn’t even hesitate to kill when you ordered it and seems to share your hatred of slavers, a trait Revan was known to have as did his followers, also you command the loyalty of a droid I know was Revan’s personal assassination droid so I’m betting you are Revan himself,” he added. 

Revan chuckled as it seemed the Mandalorian had missed nothing and it was clear he had been watching carefully. “Not bad, you are correct of course. I’m not some simple minded Jedi who has only just discovered his connection to the force,” he finally responded. “I’m Revan no more no less, I survived the betrayal by Malak and the attempted murder of the Jedi of my mind and soul. I’m the Lord of Revenge and I will have vengeance on Malak and the Jedi who tried to kill me,” he stated firmly. “But no one on this ship is my enemy, not Bastila or any of the other Jedi aboard or you an enemy I know I have faced before during the previous war,” he added. “Is the truth going to cause trouble between us Canderous?” he inquired. 

“You are Revan, the man who defeated Mandalore himself in single combat as well as his personal guards,” Canderous stated with respect. “You led the Republic to victory against my people. Until you arrived we were winning every battle we fought. You changed everything and showed that your people did know what strength was, that you were willing to sacrifice everything for victory,” he continued. “You burned my people’s will to fight, drained them of their strength with every battle you fought. Time and again when we believed we had you trapped you broke out and destroyed our armies and survived, proving to be the better than even our best Generals,” he added, but there was no bitterness in his tone just respect. “My people respect nothing but strength, our best warrior is granted the honor of being named Mandalore. You bested the last Mandalore and claimed the helmet that signifies the role of leader hence in my eyes and the eyes of any true Mandalorian you are the new Mandalore,” he said, surprising Revan somewhat. 

“I never considered that option,” Revan admitted thoughtfully as he realized what Canderous had told him. However, while claiming the rank of Mandalore would save him some headaches he doubted it would be seen as a wise move amongst the other Mandalorians. He doubted they would see him as a true Mandalore as he was not one of their people. He believed it would be better to grant it to one of their own to be seen in a sense as giving them back their sense of self. 

“You had beaten us. I doubt claiming what was left of our army was ever open to you, but had you done so we would have followed,” Canderous assured him. 

“So now you know the truth, what will you do now?” Revan asked moving the conversation onto a more serious topic. 

“Nothing, I will continue to follow and aide you whether you claim the title of Mandalore or not,” Canderous responded seriously. “You are Revan, a leader I can respect and one I know will go up against only the strongest of enemies,” he stated uncrossing his arms and standing a bit straighter. “Great deeds of valor and glory will follow in your wake and I wish to continue to be a part of it,” he requested. 

“Good to hear, seen as we are being truthful I do have a proposition for you,” Revan told him with a smile, relieved as he knew he would need the large Mandalorian in what was to come. “As you said I claimed the mask of Mandalore and I still have it hidden away somewhere. We are currently on the way to what is left of my fleet. Those who didn’t betray me and joined Malak,” he explained at Canderous’s look of intrigue. “But we don’t have the numbers to complete our true mission, and destroying Malak will cost us more ships and men hence we need allies,” he continued and Canderous suddenly realized where he was going with this conversation. “I’m willing to grant you the mask of Mandalore, in return I need you to rally your people back into a fighting force and I need their help to first destroy Malak and the rest of the traitors and then finish our true mission,” he offered. 

Canderous could barely believe what he was been offered, never in his life had he imagined he would ever gain a chance to become Mandalore. It was an offer he could not and would not refuse. 

“I also offer you the chance to stop the slow death of your people, it has been noted since the wars end that your people have splintered and most are now wandering mercenaries with little interest in the fate of your people,” Revan spoke up again, regaining his attention. “They will soon become a dying people unless you can unite them as a people once more. If we win this war you will have that chance as I will grant your back the right to your homeworld as well as grant you those planets around it so you can grow and expand once more,” he offered. 

This was an even bigger offer than he had ever imagined, not only the chance to reclaim the one thing that could reunite his people, but control of their homeworld returned to them and a chance to expand to neighboring planets as they grew. It was a once in a life time offer and he knew it, he could not refuse not that he was ever thinking of doing so. This was the moment he could do something to help save his people and their history instead of having to watch it fade away into nothingness as he had been doing. If he was honest with himself, he had become somewhat bitter towards some of his fellow Mandalorians for their attitudes and lack of care about what would happen to their people. He may have become a mercenary, but he had never forgotten what he was or where he came from. The one thing he wanted to see was the restoration of his people, so they could once again be the proud warriors they have once had been. 

“I accept your offer General. I will bring my people back from the brink of destruction and restore them to the glory we once commanded,” Canderous finally said. “We will follow you into battle and reclaim the honor we lost during the end of the war. We will banish the stigma still assigned to us by your people for the actions of Fett and those like him and we will survive,” he stated boldly as he reached out and shook Revan’s now outstretched hand.

“Excellent, then once we reach my fleet we will journey to the planet I hid the mask on and give it to you, from there the future of your people is in your hands,” Revan said with a nod of his head before he watched as Canderous nodded back before he turned and left. 

Revan smiled in relief now he knew he had Canderous’s full loyalty even knowing who he truly was. Once he revealed to the Mandalorians he had the mask they would come and they would unite behind him and through him would aide their mission to its completion. Laying down on his bunk he wondered just what would happen when he finally returned to his fleet. How would they react to his making an alliance with their former enemies? Would they see the need like he did or would they continue to hold onto their hatred and anger? Unfortunately holding onto grudges for past actions in the previous war was no longer open to him. For the fate of the Republic and possibly the galaxy as a whole lay in him succeeding in his mission and to do that he needed the added strength of the Mandalorians to win. 

+TR+

Bastila looked up from the holocube to find Juhani had entered her room. She noted her fellow Jedi looked slightly uneasy. She let out a sigh and turned the copy of her father’s holocube off knowing this talk was unavoidable after she had kissed Revan in such a passionate way. There was no mistaking what her actions had signified. Getting up she moved to her door and locked it before placing a silence bubble around it. She didn’t need this getting out to the others especially Revan as she still didn’t know what to say to him to convey what she now knew she felt. 

“I’ve been expecting you Juhani,” she said before Juhani could say anything. “After what I did, it was obvious that you would come to see me,” she stated as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes fighting her unease about the way this conversation would go. “Zayne and Jolee wouldn’t care about what I did. One due to having fallen in love himself and the other for basically leaving the Order, and clearly having some issues with it so it had to be you,” she added as she opened her eyes again and locked them onto her fellow Jedi. 

“So you do not deny you have feelings for Jaks? Clearly strong feelings considering the way you stated what it was what Zayne himself had done,” Juhani finally spoke up. “I’m not judging you Bastila as I have no right, especially as I know I’m lucky to be here at all. Jaks by all rights should have killed me when I attacked him so wildly,” she quickly added in what she hoped was a calming manner. “He did not, I’m alive only because of his act of mercy and compassion, however I have noted disturbing traits he shares with another Jedi I once knew as a child although if not for those traits I would not even be here,” she continued with her voice wavering slightly at the end and Bastila knew what she was referring too. 

“I was once a slave Bastila, treated with such venom I always believed I would die young and then he came. A warrior unlike any I had seen before, he cut down Mandalorians like they were puppets and then turned on the scum who owned me and made me suffer so much cruelty while others had ignored my pain,” Juhani continued and Bastila decided to let her talk as she seemed to need to talk and she had no clue how to explain she knew about Juhani’s past without revealing Revan and Jak’s were one and the same person. “He saved me and brought me to the Jedi, yet he was not like normal Jedi for he despised all slavers with hatred beyond normal measures and Jaks reminds me of him every time that side of him is expressed,” she told her. “He also shares a disregard for the code and normal Jedi rules or views of operational limits. I also remember what Jaks called himself before he slew that Hutt piece of slime that tried to enslave us,” she all but snarled this last bit before taking a deep breath and calming herself. “There is only one Lord of Revenge and that was Revan, but he died during your ambush on his command ship when Malak betrayed him and no one could ever replace him,” she said with complete belief. 

“Juhani,” Bastila began to reply but the Cathar cut her off. 

“But then before Jaks appeared to save us and claimed that title you too referred to him as the Lord of Revenge when you tried to frighten the Hutt so he would release us,” Juhani stated with clear confusion in her tone while Bastila held her breath as the Cathar hovered on the brink of realizing the truth. She also realized they had left behind the beginning topic of this conversation concerning her feelings for Revan, for which she was grateful, but she knew it was only a temporary postponement. “Bastila is there something about Jaks we do not know? Or was it a ploy to make the Hutt fear and then release us?” she asked. 

Bastila didn’t know what to say in response and in her confusion stammered slightly. It was only when she felt the bond widen that she realized Revan knew what was happening and wanted to say something so she focused on the bond. ‘Tell her the truth. Juhani owes her life to me twice and thus we can count on her silence until we get to my fleet,’ Revan advised her. She nodded in understanding even as he also let her know that Canderous also now knew the truth, but agreed to keep quiet until they reached his fleet. She suddenly realized everyone bar Jarael, Carth, Mission and Zaalbar now knew the truth about Jak’s true identity.

“Bastila?” Juhani questioned when she noted the almost distant look on her fellow Jedi’s face and knew instantly she was speaking to Jak’s over the force bond she shared. She waited, wondering just what Bastila would say, she suddenly realized she didn’t know just what she wanted the truth to be.

She owed her life to Revan, everything she had become was thanks to him and the choice he had made back on Taris to save her when she was a child. But he had become an enemy after the Mandalorian War and turned on the Republic he had sworn to defend and that she still defended in his memory. So she was undecided on whether she would welcome news that Revan was somehow still alive. 

“Jaks is Revan and always had been,” Bastila finally said with a sigh. “I captured him after saving his life when Malak tried to kill him. I took him back to the council and they” here she paused as the sick feeling what the council had tried to do came back as well as the anger it invoked. “The council tried to destroy his very soul and create a new personality within him. One I could use to try and draw out the truth of the Sith’s new power through our force bond,” she explained as she sat down. “They failed, but they caused him a great deal of pain trying. I found out of the truth on Kashyyk and we made a deal,” she added before being cut off by Juhani who looked shocked at what she had been told. 

“What deal, what made you think a Sith Lord would ever honor any deal you made?” Juhani demanded to know. 

“I know one thing Juhani and that is Revan has never been or will ever be a true Sith Lord. Something he has said in our discussions and things he has alluded to suggest he was pretending to be Sith although I still do not have the whole story, but he has kept to our deal,” Bastila cut back in with a slight glare. “He has protected me and kept me from falling into Malak’s hands and he has helped the rest of us if you had not noticed,” she pointed out. “He saved the entire group when Taris was bombed. He didn’t have to risk his life to go back for Mission and the ones we were forced to leave behind when we infiltrated Davik’s base, but he did so and he has stayed with us and fought against his former allies when again he didn’t need to,” she stated still somewhat angry at Juhani’s slight.

“How can you pretend to be a Sith Lord? Or are you saying all of his people were faking it?” Juhani inquired feeling stunned to learn that Revan did indeed still live. “And if they were then why attack the Republic?” she demanded just seconds later. 

“As I said I don’t know the whole story Juhani, but he has eluded to another enemy somewhere out there. I have seen blurry images in his mind, but he is keeping the full truth from me until he believes me ready to learn it,” Bastila answered. “As for his people, most of them were like him faking being Sith and as we’ve met three of them I can safely say the proof is in their actions. They saved us from the Sith trying to capture us on Tatoonie when they knocked most of us out with those grenades,” she explained, hoping Juhani would prove Revan’s belief correct and keep quiet once this was done. “According to them half his fleet is still active and loyal to Revan awaiting his return, but those who have followed Malak have turned fully to the dark side and become Sith,” she went on. “Something happened to Malak and those who followed him that twisted them. That is why Malak turned on Revan and tried to kill him and that is partly why we are being hunted because thanks to Calo Nord, Malak knows he survived,” she finished. 

Juhani rubbed her forehead as she digested this. This revelation was huge and she had no idea how she was supposed to feel about it. Revan lived and was on this very ship. The man who she owed at least two life debts to still lived and now she could finally repay him. ‘But could she honestly trust his intentions where the Republic was concerned?’ she wondered. Bastila spoke of some shadow enemy she had seen in his memories and heard spoken of during their talks, but if there was another enemy out there then why did he attack the Republic and pretend to be a Sith Lord? She questioned herself.

“You have to stay quiet about this until he is ready to tell the ones who don’t know, especially Carth,” Bastila stated. “He is looking for anyone to take his anger out on and if he finds out that Jaks is Revan he will kill him without hesitation and we will never stop Malak,” she argued. “You owe him your life Juhani. You must stay quiet,” she warned. 

“But what about the threat he poses to the Republic and the Jedi?” Juhani shot back with a slight glare. “You can’t say he doesn’t pose one, he wouldn’t have attacked them if he didn’t,” she pointed out. 

“He is loyal to the ideals of the Republic and the Jedi but believes them to be drowning in corruption and stagnation in the Jedi’s case,” Bastila admitted. “He and his people want to save both from themselves, but know neither will just simply listen to them, conquering the Republic and then rebuilding it was their only option if what I have briefly seen in his mind was any indication,” she continued. “Whatever this shadow enemy is, he believes it will eventually attack and that were we to fight it as we are now we will be destroyed and sadly I must agree. We have lost so much talent and resources and that is why we are having so much trouble fighting Malak and his forces,” she pressed, hoping to make Juhani see what she had finally seen even if she didn’t have the full story, yet she knew enough to trust Revan meant to save the Republic, not destroy it. “Time, he believes, is against us, hence his aggression towards that which he is trying to save as he believes rebuilding the Republic from the ground up to face this threat is the only way and the quickest way. To start doing that he was trying to take control of it himself and seen as the senate and the Jedi will never allow that a confrontation was always coming,” she finished slightly repeating herself near the end by saying the same thing just using different words. 

Juhani stared at Bastila not knowing what to say or even how to feel about what Bastila told her about what were Revan’s true motives for attacking the Republic. Some part of her was overjoyed to know he was still loyal to the Republic, but she couldn’t but question whether Revan had been telling the truth to Bastila about anything. ‘Wasn’t it possible he was deceiving her and using the bond to send her false images and lies to make his version of events seem more plausible?’ she wondered. Still even ignoring that concern she knew one thing Bastila had said was true. She owed her life to Revan twice over and thus she had to honor that and stay quiet. 

“I will stay silent Bastila as you are right I owe him my life, but be warned should he pose a true threat to the Jedi or the Republic for a reason I believe is only to benefit himself I will take a stand against him,” Juhani said after releasing a tired sigh. 

“I would expect nothing else from you Juhani, but I assure you he is not the enemy,” Bastila responded with a smile. “As for the Jedi, he wants them to start evolving and embrace change so they can once more be strong and no longer blind themselves to things they believe outside their charter,” she explained. “The only Jedi I know he bares ill will towards are those on the council who tried to murder him, and I think you can understand his stance there,” she added, her disgust at the council clear in her voice. 

“Yes I can, but we must be careful he does not go too far or he will become just like Malak,” Juhani warned before she turned and headed back to her bunk.

“No he won’t because I will not allow him to become like Malak,” Bastila whispered to the empty space where Juhani had been. 

Turning away she stripped off her clothes and climbed into the nearby shower and turned the hot water on, she was thankful the small cabins on the ship had their own showers and toilets. Even though she tried not to think about it as she soaped up her body she could not help but think of Revan and what he would do with her body were he here with her now. She shivered in expectation and arousal that she did her best not to allow to travel over the bond, ever since she had kissed Revan and finally admitted her feelings her mind had begun to fantasize about him. Closing her eyes, she tried to not feel such arousal as she ran her soapy hands over her breasts and sensitive nipples. She tried not to imagine it was Revan’s hands touching her so intimately. Finally snapping out of the light daze she had fallen into just as her hand had begun to dip down past her waist, she shook her head and washed the soap off before turning the water of and quickly drying off and pulling on a long nightshirt before climbing into bed. She had to get better control of herself before she gave herself away and let Revan know just how badly he was beginning to affect her, letting out a yawn she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.  
24\. Chapter 24  
(Jedi Temple)

Vima awoke feeling somewhat sluggish after the nightmare she had just had. Letting out a sigh she couldn’t help but wonder if her daughter was still alive or had she already been killed? But she refused to acknowledge that thought. She knew if Ana had been killed then she would have felt her passing through the force. 

So far she was certain Ana still lived, but had been captured either by Sith or a group who had previous ties to them. The base they had been sent to scout had gone dark straight after Malak’s betrayal of Revan had taken place. So it was possible the people there had been loyalists of Revan who had split from the Sith now that their leader was believed to have been killed. 

Was it possible that Ana and her team had been captured not by Sith, but by some surviving loyalists of Revan? If so would they prove a danger to her and her team just because they were Jedi or would they show mercy? It was hard to say because no matter her new found belief that Revan may not be as lost as she had once believed she didn’t know his current feelings about the Jedi as a whole. 

Considering what the council had tried to do to him she didn’t fool herself into thinking that Revan didn’t hold some anger and hatred towards them. ‘Would he put the blame on all of the Jedi or just the Jedi Council?’ She wondered. Rubbing her face she got up and got herself a drink of water before returning to her bed, lying back down she closed her eyes and prayed she would have no more nightmares. 

+TR+

(Leviathan)

Malak stared at the pad in his hands which detailed the latest reports from his empire. So far everything was going according to his plan except for Revan still being alive. Every move he had made had gone without a hitch except for succeeding in killing his former friend, all because of that damn Jedi bitch Shan. She had to interfere and save him instead of leaving him to die as he had deserved as far as he was concerned. Now Revan was out there hunting him, of that he was certain after he had felt the rage and hatred Revan had felt only a few hours before. No way could a reprogrammed puppet caused such a disturbance in the force that he and probably everyone other force sensitive had felt it. Revan had a plan of that he was certain, but for the life of him he couldn’t fathom what it was. So far he seemed to have played the meek puppet the Jedi council had tried to make of him bar a few instances such as on Kashyyk. Perhaps he was trying to win the trust of Bastila Shan for his own purposes. Perhaps he wished to corrupt the young Jedi just as he did just for his own revenge. 

But then what of his other companions, the Mandalorian, the Twi’lek, the Wookiee, the Republic pilot and of course the other Jedi in his party? What did he plan to do about them if his plan did involve corrupting Shan? Or did he plan to use them to try and get his revenge? Still such a small party could pose little trouble to his empire. Even if he got Shan on his side he doubted Revan would get anywhere close to him to strike. Suddenly it became clear why he was still playing the puppet and that was so he could use the Republic forces and Jedi to help him get a chance to kill him. Why else would he play such a useless role so long, he planned to actually gain their trust just so they would help him get close enough for his one chance at revenge. Bold just as he would expect from his former friend, if the Jedi ever suspected Revan still lived they would kill him and his former friend must know that. Still dismissing Revan as a non-entity was a mistake and he refused to make it, he needed to find him and kill him, especially if he managed to get past Bandon. Korriban and its dark side nexus would give Bandon and his assassination force a huge advantage when Revan finally turned up, but would Revan be able to use the dark side as he had done before? Would he dare risk it now he knew half of his people had turned against him and fallen to the dark side. Would he now consider using it now that he knew it was more dangerous than he had previously thought? If he would not use it then again that would play to Bandon and give him even more of an edge, but if Revan remained true to his original plan and indeed uses the dark side as needed then Bandon would have to be on guard. He had seen Revan in the grip of the dark side before and it was far from a pleasant memory, for it was the day he had lost his lower jaw during a deadly battle in the outer rim against aliens he believed were allied with the Sith Empire hidden there. Later Revan claimed what had happened had been an accident, and that he hadn’t been the target of his last swing which had so deformed him, but even now he couldn’t believe that. It was that incident that had burned away the last embers of Alek Squinquargesimus died and he truly became Malak and an enemy of all he had once stood for, perhaps Revan had not intended to strike him, but in the end the result was the same. 

Revan had to die before he could bask in his success when he finally crushed the Republic he had once set out to save, he already had his main gambit ready on the Star Forge which thanks to his capture of Dorak and fourteen other Jedi he could now put into full effect. Thus should Revan ever reach him, he and he alone would have the ultimate edge in that duel. 

He almost hoped Revan did indeed succeed in reaching him so he could show once and for all he was the better of the two of them. But he was not blind to the fact that luck could play a factor and help Revan and thus he had to be killed before reaching him. 

If Bandon failed, then he would have to find another apprentice and someone who Revan might hesitate to kill. Shan would be perfect for this role, his previous goal of just corrupting her for her battle meditation fleeing his mind. Now she would succeed Bandon should he fall. She would then serve at his right hand and if he was correct that Revan had an interest in her then he might hesitate to kill her outright thus giving the girl the chance to kill him in turn. Yes, it would be the perfect revenge, both on the girl for daring to save Revan’s life and on Revan himself for continuing being a problem. Now he just had to hope the girl could be captured before they reached Korriban. 

+TR+

(Ebon Hawk)

Revan strode into the cockpit after getting the call from Niks that they were almost to their destination. He had to admit he felt slightly nervous for the first time in many years. To finally be back with his fleet and with his people, to finally be able to see Rikka and Meetra and so many others again. 

He glanced to his left as a bleary eyed Bastila soon joined them, having been awoken by Revan’s restless thoughts since the call from Niks had come. She had at least managed to get dressed before joining them, thankfully the others, especially Carth remained asleep but she was still worried how the man would take the truth that was about to come out. 

“Approaching destination in five, four, three, two, one,” Niks counted down before he hit the switch that dropped them out of hyperspace. 

The sight that greeted Bastila took her breath away as she beheld the fleet that they now approached. She had never seen anything like it and she began to wonder how the Republic had let themselves fall so far that they could not call upon such numbers now in this new war. 

“By the force, so many ships,” she whispered. 

“Far more than you reported by far, I believe there has been some sort of screw up in the numbers you were given,” Revan stated with a growing smile. “Maybe just maybe more of our people survived than we knew,” he added to which Niks nodded in agreement. 

He had not seen it at the time they had left on their mission to Tatoonie, but now he could see it clearly, there was clearly far more ships than the numbers had first indicated when they left. 

“We’re being hailed by the Revenge,” he reported. 

“Put it up on the speaker Niks,” Revan ordered unsurprised to hear the new flagship was again called the Revenge.

“Ebon Hawk we have you on screen, please head for docking bay nine,” a voice stated. “General Surik and Rikka will meet you there General and welcome home,” the voice added, sounding almost giddy to Bastila. 

“Copy that Revenge, it’s good to be back,” Revan replied and then nodded to Niks to comply. “I guess we better wake the others and hope Carth doesn’t lose it when he learns we are not where we are supposed to be and more to the point who I’m and where we are,” he added with a wary sigh.

“Trust in him to at least listen to your story before he tries anything,” Bastila advised with a wary look of her own showing she didn’t even believe her own words. “Still just be ready to defend yourself just in case his first reaction is to shoot,” she warned.

Ten minutes later and the entire crew was up and ready, some were still yawning and grumbling, but Canderous and Carth were both wide awake having been used to been awoken at all times during the war. 

“So we’ve reached Korriban already?” Carth asked sounding somewhat nervously. 

“No we are not on Korriban Carth, and neither are we at Manann,” Revan answered causing the other to frown in concern. 

“Why the hell not? Where the hell are we?” Carth demanded to know. 

“That is not going to be easy to explain, but the simple answer is we are about to land on the flagship of my fleet,” Revan told him with a heavy sigh and hoped this didn’t turn violent, it was the last thing they needed. 

“Fleet, what kind of fracking fleet could you have?” Carth exploded. “You were a lonely god damn foot solider back on the Endar Spire before finding out you could use the force and became a Jedi padawan,” he argued. 

“Not everything was as it seemed Carth,” Bastila cut in hoping to sooth the republic pilots volatile temper. “Some things had to be kept secret for the good of the mission even from some of you, as this mission has progressed however the truth has become known to some of you, but not all,” she continued as Carth glared at her. “Jaks Toulan never existed as a real person. He was a cover persona the Jedi council tried to create within the person standing before you,” she explained. “He was my prisoner and I brought him to the council thinking they would question him and maybe try and redeem him not try and murder him,” she spat the last part, surprising Carth so much he almost forgot why he was angry in the first place. 

“Murder him?” Mission asked in surprise having never heard of Jedi being accused of being murderers unless they had become Sith. 

“He suffered terrible wounds at the hands of a viscous attack by Malak and I managed to save him, however I was told by the council that the damage done to his mind was too great to be healed and that the only way to save him was to create a new persona using their combined power and I regret I believed them, but it was a lie,” Bastila explained feeling once again the terrible sense of betrayal and revulsion she had felt once Revan had explained this to her and she had felt what he had felt during the procedure through their force bond. “They felt he was too dangerous to survive as he was and thus forcibly tried to destroy his original persona which caused him untold levels of agony. He was protected by the force thus the attempt failed, but I was unaware of this until we headed into the Shadowlands back on Kashyyk,” she went on. 

“Then who is he Bastila?” Jarael inquired, looking to Zayne for some sign of what he thought of this reveal only to realize by looking into her fiancé’s eyes that he already knew the truth. “You know?” she whispered.

“I had my suspicions after what we saw on Kashyyk and what happened back on Tatoonie so I confronted him when we left to collect the water units for the Sand People. He admitted the truth but assured me he was not our enemy,” Zayne admitted, hoping Jarael would understand why he had not told her. “I promised not to say anything in response, and I trusted him to tell us when the time came,” he added. 

He waited with bated breath as Jarael considered this before nodding in acceptance of his explanation, this relieved him greatly and he quickly pulled her into a quick loving kiss which she eagerly returned. 

“Who else knows who the frack you are?” Carth demanded as his anger grew once Zayne hat finished speaking. 

“Canderous, Jolee, Niks, Jarrik, HK and Juhani,” Revan answered as he lowered his hands to his belt and well within reach of his lightsaber once he noted how close Carth’s hand was to his blaster. “Also Melkor knew as well, he and his team were scouts sent out to find me and bring me back home,” he stated. 

“Home? And where is that and who are you?” Carth demanded to know. 

“I’m Revan and home is my fleet. At least that part of it that stayed loyal to me and to the Republic and didn’t side with Malak,” Revan replied and watched and waited for Carth’s response. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra all but ran towards docking bay nine with Rikka hot on her heels, finally Revan was about to return to the fleet and they could then start gaining their revenge on Malak and his followers and once that was done they could turn their attention to completing their original mission. As she entered the bay she took note of the large number of troops lining up to greet their returning leader. Someone had clearly passed it down that the Ebon Hawk had arrived and that Revan was aboard. 

Stopping in front of the troops with a clear view of the shield that kept the bay pressurized as the Ebon Hawk came in for landing. The ship looked kind of old and beat up and yet as Meetra looked at it she couldn’t help but feel a connection to this ship even though this was the first time she was seeing it.

“What a hunk of junk,” she heard one of the nearby troopers mutter and for reasons beyond her felt the need to defend the ship.

“Hey… it may not look like much, but this ship is far more than it looks, okay?” she hissed, glaring at the trooper who quickly shut up and nodded somewhat stunned. “It got Revan home didn’t it?” she inquired.

“Yes General,” the trooper agreed with a quick nod. 

“You okay General?” Rikka asked with a strange look in her eyes. 

“I just get the feeling that this ship is not all it seems to be, that in another time it would play an important part in both Revan’s life and somehow my own,” Meetra explained as best as she could.

“That almost sounds like you’ve sensed that through the force,” Rikka pointed out, stunning Meetra who realized that the young Twi-Lek was correct.

She suddenly had the first real hope her connection to the force would come back completely. How else would she have sensed what she just had just from seeing the ship come into the hangar? Maybe the council had been wrong and her connection hadn’t been severed but damaged and it was just taking time to heal. Maybe given enough time her connection would come back fully.

“What do we do about the Mandalorian?” Rikka inquired.

“We let Revan deal with it. It is his choice to bring the Mandalorian back to the fleet and it is up to him to get the others to accept it,” Meetra responded. “If he can,” she added with clear doubt in her voice. 

“There may also be a problem with Shan being on board,” Rikka pointed out. 

“Again that is on Revan’s shoulders and he will have to make the crew accept her being on board, although they will be probably accept the Jedi far easier than the Mandalorian,” Meetra replied with a simple shrug.

“I hope so, something tells me she won’t be leaving anytime soon from what Melkor told us,” Rikka shot back making Meetra scowl somewhat.

She was still very uncertain what to feel about Bastila Shan and her force bond with Revan, a man she had a past with. A man she had been very much in love with, not something she had expected to find during a war, but the relationship had formed quite quickly once she joined the fight, and had lasted until she had left the fleet after the final battle of the war. However, neither she or Revan had ended their relationship before she had left. They had just parted without saying anything and now she didn’t know just where she and Revan stood in that department. But whatever the case she knew the force bond between Revan and Bastila was going to complicate everything from this point onwards, and that realization really bugged her.  
25\. Chapter 25  
(Ebon Hawk)

Carth stared at the man he had worked beside since the Endar Spire had been ambushed over Taris in complete shock. He just couldn’t seem to accept what he had just been told as the truth. His mind just could not accept that Jaks Toulon was really Revan, had always been Revan right from the start. One of the men he blamed for the death of his wife and his son, for the burning of his home world of Telos along with Malak and Saul Karath. Without really thinking about it his hand reached down for his blaster. 

Revan however was quicker and shot his arm forward and quickly summoned the blaster with the force just as he brought it up. At the same time, he felt another blaster hit the back of his head, frowning he turned to find Canderous glaring at him. 

“Don’t even think about it flyboy,” Canderous warned with a grim smile. “I know you have issues, but now is not the time to sort them out. We are not in friendly territory and if you kill Revan then everyone in this ship is dead meat,” he added.

Carth noted that Jarrik also had his weapon drawn as did the droid HK-47 and both looked eager to shoot should he provoke them. He glanced to Bastila and found her frowning, but he also saw clear worry in her eyes that the situation would get worse. He tried to calm himself, but he kept imagining the last few minutes of his wife and son’s lives and that kept his rage inflamed. He glared across at the man he now knew to be Revan. 

“You should be dead, as dead as my wife and son and as dead as the thousands your people killed on Telos,” he spat, his hatred clear. 

“Not my people Carth, I ordered Telos to be captured with as little loss of life as possible, but Malak disobeyed me,” Revan shot back, looking wary. “It was the first true sign that Malak had been lost to the darkness along with those who followed him, but I hesitated to believe it due to our previous friendship,” he admitted with a sigh. “Your family and planet paid the price for my blindness. I refused to see that the darkside of the force had corrupted Malak before I sent him to Telos and for that I’m truly sorry, but I suffered for that moment of hesitation and for my blindness to the truth as did many of my people,” he spat, his temper suddenly erupting. “They were betrayed and killed by men and women they had trusted for years and I will have vengeance for it all, what you suffered and what I suffered and what my people suffered due to Malak is no different,” he continued locking glares with Carth. “If it is revenge you seek then you are welcome to join me. If not then stay out of my way for now, we are at my fleet all that will be found is blood,” he stated. 

“You dare compare my suffering to what you and your bloody people have felt?” Carth shouted in rage. “You brought what happened down on everyone when you turned to the darkside. You made the choice to take your fleet into the outer rim and you made the choice to come back and make war on the Republic,” he hissed, wishing to reach for his other blaster, but he was very aware of Canderous’s blaster at the back of his head. “Whatever darkness infected Malak and those that followed him, you led them there,” he accused. 

Bastila watched the growing confrontation with worry. Revan’s emotions had quickly become enflamed much too quickly for her liking, but for now she stayed quiet. She noted that the others were also watching on, uneasily as the two men argued. It was clear to her that it would take only a certain word to turn this bloody. 

“Yes I led them into the outer rim, but for a reason Carth, to protect a Republic that was still weak and an easy target for the danger I had learned waited in the darkness of space,” Revan finally replied, doing his best to keep control of his temper. “Malak and everyone who followed agreed to go because we were not willing to watch the Republic fall after all the blood that had been shed in the war to protect it,” he explained. “The secret I learned from Mandalore was too dangerous to leave alone and I knew neither the Jedi council or the senate would do anything with the information,” he went on. “I had no idea just how much more dangerous this threat would be, nor could I foresee that Malak and half my people would be corrupted,” he finished. 

“What threat?” Jolee finally interrupted, rubbing his chin as he listened to everything that had been said, especially by Revan. “That is the second or third time you have hinted at some hidden enemy, that you and your people pretended to be Sith to hide you motives from something hidden in the darkness,” he pointed out.

“Mandalore told you of another threat?” Canderous inquired with clear curiosity. 

“Yes, but it is not a tale to be told here as I have no proof to show you. However, I do have that proof on the ship we have just landed on,” Revan answered even as he kept his eyes pinned on Carth. “Proof I had intended to show you all anyway. Hear me out on the whole thing and then you will know why your wife and son truly died in a war that had all things been fair would never have happened,” he requested. “That had the Republic and Jedi not been so arrogant at the end of the last great Sith War then we would not be here, none of us, not even the Mandalorians,” he stated surprising even Canderous with the boldness of his claim. “Arrogance we are all paying for now,” he cursed. 

Carth stared at him long and hard as he listened to his words, but it was his eyes that told him he was serious about everything he was saying, that he believed what he was saying. He glanced at Bastila who nodded at him, urging him to agree. 

“I swear to you Carth I’m not your enemy, none of my people are,” Revan swore. “We are as loyal to the Republic as you are, the difference between us is that me and my people refuse to sit back and let the corruption and decadence within the Senate continue, nor will we accept the blindness and stagnation of the Jedi,” he told him. 

“Alright I’ll listen to what you have to say and see what evidence you have to back up your claims, but that does not mean I trust any of you for keeping this from me,” Carth finally backed down, knowing it was his only option for now.

“Hey neither me nor big Z knew about this either Carth,” Mission protested. “And no offence, but I think if Jaks or Revan or whatever the hell his name is meant us any harm, we’d already be dead,” she pointed out to which Zaalbar agreed. 

“I also have to agree. I didn’t know about Revan, but if he had wished us dead we would be,” Jarael agreed. “He could have dispatched us a half dozen times but he didn’t, he helped us. He also helped Bastila find her father’s body and funded the credits to get her mother to Manaan with a new ID,” she pointed out. “He also helped rescue Mission’s brother and he did come back for us when he negotiated the truce between the sand people and Mos Eisley, frack he didn’t even have to negotiate the truce in the first place, but he did and that are hardly the actions of a madman” she stated grimly. 

“He also came back for us back on Taris when he, Bastila and Canderous first got hold of the Ebon Hawk,” Zaalbar joined in. “He didn’t have to, but he did. He also helped free my people and even spared my father when Chuundar sent him and Bastila to kill him and that would have been the easier thing to do,” he added. 

“Okay I get the fracking point, I said I would listen and I will,” Carth snapped. “But that is all I’m willing to do at this point,” he stated. 

“It’s enough Carth,” Revan said just as Niks suddenly appeared from the cockpit even as Jarrik, HK and Canderous began to relax their weapons.

“We’ve landed General and a crowd is waiting in the hangar bay,” Niks reported. 

“Lower the ramp Niks, it’s time to say hello before we explain the full story to my friends,” Revan ordered relieved Carth had backed down without the whole thing turning violent and he could feel that Bastila was also relieved about this.

“Yes sir,” Niks nodded before heading for the cargo bay followed one by one by the others. 

+TR+ 

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Rikka watched as finally the rear hatch of the Ebon Hawk opened and Revan and Niks came out of the ship. She felt great relief to see that he truly was alive. Their leader and the man who had freed her from a life of slavery, along with hundreds of others he had freed during the war even when he didn’t have to. His hatred of slavery in all forms were one of the main reasons so many of those he freed had joined his fleet and his mission, not one of them that she knew of except Yuthura Ban had stayed loyal to Revan and were either a part of this fleet or dead. Yuthura however had not been with the fleet she had been stationed at the academy on Korriban. It was likely she was dead because the alternative that she had betrayed Revan just didn’t bare thinking about. Yuthura had been like a big sister to her for the five years they had spent as slaves and then members of Revan’s fleet and the idea she could turn made her feel sick.

Suddenly her attention was diverted from her morbid thoughts as the rest of the crew disembarked, instantly she spotted the tall form of the Mandalorian and she quickly picked up harsh whispers of disbelief and anger which General Surik quickly put a stop to with but a glare. The Mandalorian was kind of short for his profession, but he had plenty of muscles she noted. She soon spotted a familiar looking droid leaving the ship and she couldn’t help but wonder where Revan had encountered HK-47 as to her knowledge the assassin droid had been lost on its last mission. She looked across the faces of the newcomers until they hit the one she had been looking for, Bastila Shan in the flesh. She was tall for a woman, but she had a regal beauty to her that even Rikka had to acknowledge. Many of her fellow troopers had commented on her looks. She wondered just what kind of woman this was, she had led the ambush that had allowed Malak to pull off his betrayal and yet according to what Melkor had informed them she had also saved Revan’s life. 

“Present arms,” the master at arms shouted and instantly the entire assembly of troops came to attention with her joining them a moment later. 

Revan smirked as he looked around before his gaze landed on her and General Surik and he instantly began to make his way over to them. He was followed by the rest of his crew from the ship. Jarrik and Niks formed up on his sides clearly ready to defend him should it been needed, not that she expected it to be, but she could not push aside General Surik’s suspicion that Malak may have a spy among them. 

“Rikka… it is great to see you are well,” Revan said in greeting before pulling her into a surprising and quick hug before he let her go and turned to General Surik. “Meetra I cannot tell you how happy I’m to see you, at least this saves me from having to track you down myself,” he added with a chuckle before he pulled her into a hug too but that lasted a bit longer everyone noted, including Bastila who couldn’t help but frown somewhat. 

“Hello Revan,” Meetra said warmly as they pulled apart. “It is about damn time you got here, the damn mess you’ve made needs cleaning up and I’m not about to do it all by myself,” she stated in a clearly sarcastic manner. 

Bastila frowned having not heard anyone dare take such a tone with him, especially not someone who knew who he truly was, but instead of getting angry like she suspected he would, Revan just broke out into laughter. It was a laugh that told her he found Meetra Surik statement truly amusing, she wondered just how deep the connection between him and Meetra Surik went. Even as the thought went thought her mind she couldn’t help but feel jealous of the other woman, frowning she pushed the feeling aside as best she could and did her best to keep the feeling from travelling through the bond. 

“My apologizes Meetra. I’ve been a bit distracted by a few other matters, but now I’m back to clean up my mess as you so easily put it,” Revan responded with a grin as he finally stopped laughing. “I see your sarcastic tongue is still intact, good,” he mused still very much amused. “At ease people,” he ordered suddenly turning serious as turning to face the crowd. “Put me on an open channel to the fleet,” he added and waited until one of the troopers stated he was on. 

“This is General Revan to all hands. I have returned to resume control of the fleet and lead you not only in the final completion of the task we set ourselves, but to gain the vengeance we all desire on Malak and all those who betrayed us,” he began. “Many of our brothers and sisters have been slain by those we trusted for so long and each one of us thirst for revenge for those that have fallen and revenge we will have but to do so and complete our mission so as to ensure they didn’t die in vain we will have to make hard choices and some sacrifices,” he continued somewhat somberly. “Long held hatreds will have to be put aside because we will need allies to win this war and complete our mission. Allies who were once enemies and yes I know how hard that is to ask of you all because like me many of you still harbor great anger and even hatred towards the Mandalorians, but we know why they attacked the Republic when even they don’t,” he paused here as many of the troopers began to shift uneasily and to Bastila’s eyes looked almost enraged at the idea.

“No offence General, but you cannot be serious after all they did during the war?” one of the higher ranking soldiers inquired. 

“None taken Varrik. I know it will not be a popular idea to many and I admit I still have my own personal issues where the Mandalorians are concerned, but they are issues I can no longer afford to hold if we are to succeed,” Revan replied taking no offence and pleased one of his people had the nerve to ask that question. “The Mandalorian War is over and we were the victors. The Mandalorians suffered far more than just defeat they now face oblivion due to the fact I took Mandalore’s Mask after I killed Mandalore in personal combat. The clans are scattered and they slowly die out one by one, every death is more blood they can ill afford to lose,” he explained. 

Canderous listened as Revan talked and could not fault what he was saying because it was the damn truth. Every death his people suffered now that they were a splintered force was one they couldn’t afford. They were on the edge of a cliff facing complete destruction as a species; if they didn’t reunite then there would be no more Mandalorian race in the future. He knew many of his people no longer cared or at least had become so worn down that they no longer tried to restore their people to what they once were. He now had the chance to truly save his people with the offer Revan had made him, but he could see that it wouldn’t be as easy as Revan telling his people this was what was going to happen. He would have to say something and prove that he was willing to follow the same man they themselves had followed for so many years. 

“But General how could we ever truly trust them after what we went through during the war?” another trooper demanded to know. 

“I’m Commander Canderous Ordo of the clan Ordo and I state here and now in front of you all I will follow Revan right into the fires of hell if needs be,” Canderous stated stopping whatever Revan was about to say and making the entire assembly look at him as he stepped forward. “Yes I was one of the Mandalorians you fought in the previous war, more than likely we met in battle many times, but as Revan has said that war is now over and a new one is being waged. You ask how you could ever trust me or any of my people were we to become allies and I say this in response. My people respect strength over all else, especially in battle,” he continued. “In the early days of the war we won every battle and pushed your people to the brink. We didn’t believe there was any strength within your Republic and then Revan appeared and you followed and he showed that there was indeed strength to be found,” he went on. “The war turned against us, no matter how hard we tried you beat us again and again. Revan killed many of our best Generals and would go on to even kill Mandalore the Ultimate himself and his bodyguard by his own hand without help and in that fight he claimed the helmet of Mandalore and the power that went with it,” he informed them as every eye in the bay remained fixed on him. “He could use that power to command my people to war, instead he has offered me the helmet and position of Mandalore and a chance to save my people from slow death and I will take it and in return I will rally my people back into a true army and we will follow Revan to the end of this war because he is strength and he is power and he will allow us to redeem ourselves in the eyes of the wider galaxy and to once more taste glory,” he paused before speaking again. “A glory that will not be tainted by the actions of lesser people. I know that many still remember the massacre on Cathar and want the heads of Cassius Fett and his followers on a pike. Believe me when I say any true Mandalorian would feel the same for those were not the actions of a solider, but a butcher and he tainted how people see us,” he paused again allowing Rikka to step forward. 

“And what would you do if Fett or any of his people were found?” she inquired. 

“They would be executed without a trial because there is nothing they could say to me or any true Mandalorian that would make us spare them. They are traitors to our culture and history and especially to our way of war,” Canderous answered surprising Rikka and it seemed quite a few others. 

“General I understand what you are saying and I while I hear nothing but truth from the Mandalorian what about the fact that the Mandalorians were well known for taking slaves? Something everyone in this fleet is against, especially yourself?” Melkor himself asked as he stepped forward. 

“That would be one practice I would demand the new Mandalore remove from any consideration,” Revan spat and it was clear in his tone that just the mention of the previous history of Mandalorians taking slaves during war angered him.

“Agreed as I liked that practice no more than any of you did. We are warriors and taking slaves does nothing but demean us,” Canderous spat in distaste himself as he had never been a fan of slavery as many of his people had been. “If the alliance goes forward it will be outlawed,” he promised. 

“I was one of those who your people enslaved Ordo why should I or those like me who also were slaves to your people believe you?” Rikka demanded stepping closer to where Canderous stood. 

Canderous stared at the young Twi’lek for a few seconds, seeing in her eyes the seething anger aimed directly at him. The long buried emotions of being a slave were easily seen as he stared at her, he could not fault her for her feelings. Reached behind him he pulled a dagger from his belt and gripped the blade and then ripped his hand down it drawing blood, he didn’t flinch as the pain from the wound hit him. 

“I swear upon my own blood and the blood of my people that I will do as I have promised. There will be no slaves taken and any who try will be executed,” Canderous swore. “There will be no betrayal by my people should the alliance be agreed upon. There is nothing in it for us to do that should we be given the chance to survive,” he added.

Rikka stared hard at the Mandalorian as he all but swore a blood oath, the highest kind of promise a Mandalorian could make as far as she knew. She glanced at Revan who had stayed quiet and allowed not only Canderous to speak on his own behalf, but allowed his own people to question him, clearly he believed this alliance was not only necessary but also possible. 

“General Surik, you’ve stayed quiet throughout this discussion so forgive me, but I’ve to ask what your take is on this as Revan’s second in command?” she inquired as she turned to face Meetra who almost looked surprised before she regained control of herself. 

“It is a risky gambit given the bad blood between both sides as I don’t doubt there are some Mandalorians who harbor the same anger and even hatred we do, but as Revan has said we can’t afford to keep the anger and hatred within us if we are to succeed in our goals,” Meetra stated as she stepped forward. “Our blood has been shed by those we once trusted so much, if they are now our enemies then can it not be said old enemies can now become allies?” she mused aloud. “The old war is done. We won and all those who died in it were avenged by our victory. Now we must focus on the new war and there are still brothers and sisters who wait to be avenged so I ask you all what is more important to you?” she demanded. “Holding onto old grudges or gaining the vengeance our fallen brothers and sisters demand of you and ensuring the success of our mission?” she finished. 

The bay went silent as the troopers considered the question now posed to them. Bastila didn’t doubt that on every ship in the fleet the same question was being pondered by every Jedi and trooper aboard. She could see now how Revan had drawn the loyalty of so many. He had a way of speaking to people that made you trust him. She could also see that Meetra Surik also had the same ability, she was somewhat surprised by Canderous speech and promise, but she could see the reason for his oath. The chance to save his people, to bring them back together and stop the slow death they had been enduring for the last two years since the end of the war was one he could not afford to pass up. 

Suddenly the bay erupted into shouts of ‘Vengeance’. Bastila was somehow unsurprised by the choice made by Revan’s people; she knew thanks to Revan’s memories just how loyal they could be to him and his goals. Meetra Surik’s support of his plan had clearly helped as had Canderous’s blood oath, even Rikka the former slave, if she had heard right, was shouting for vengeance. 

Revan raised his hand and suddenly everything became quiet once more. Even the other ships had clearly made their choice as they went quiet over the speakers as well. 

“I know I have asked much of you over the years, but I ask no more than I ask of myself. I want vengeance for my slain brothers and sisters as much as you do and thus the alliance with the Mandalorians will go ahead,” Revan stated calmly although Bastila could feel through the bond the relief he felt. “Canderous Ordo has given a blood oath that he will ensure there will be no slavery and no betrayal should he manage to pull his people together once he becomes the new Mandalore. I will take him at his word as he has given me no reason to question him thus far,” he added before he turned and nodded at Canderous who nodded back. 

Canderous was relieved he had managed to convince the majority of these people of his worthiness as an ally; hopefully he could pull off what he had promised to do. As long as his people were still willing to follow he who held the helmet of Mandalore then it should be no problem. He just hoped they would be willing to follow him straight into another war. Although knowing the temperament of his people he doubted they would refuse if they were true Mandalorians. This was a huge step forward in hopefully saving his people. 

“General no offence, but what about Bastila Shan? You’ve brought the Jedi council’s most important asset into the fleet,” a new voice inquired as a young female stepped forward. “How do we know she will not alert the Jedi we are here and what we plan to do? How can we be sure of her or any of the Jedi you’ve brought with you?” she asked to which many nodded in agreement with her question. “For right now they are still in a sense our enemy,” she stated. 

“I suppose you are right to question me or my colleagues, but I assure you I’m no threat to Revan or to any of you,” Bastila answered before Revan could speak up and catching him by surprise much to her enjoyment. It was not often she managed to do so. Since the truth came out he had been very much in control of the situation and she was often the one playing catch up, but not for this moment. “Revan and I made a deal back on Kashyyk and I will stick to that deal, as for the Jedi being an enemy that is not entirely true either. It is the council who is in one sense your enemy because they refuse to see the truths you and I have,” she explained. “I know they’ve made many mistakes going all the way back to the last war. I know they tried to murder Revan and then lied to me about it going against the Jedi Code itself,” she continued. “But the normal everyday Jedi has no issue with you because at the moment they do not know you still exist as a fighting force, and as long as you conduct yourselves as trying to save them and the Republic instead of pretending to be Sith then I doubt you need to ever fight them again,” she added hopefully. 

“You can’t be sure of that, the Jedi obey the council in all things just as you did before they lied to you and misused your trust if what you just said is true,” the young woman shot back. “Any one of you could be a spy for the council,” she accused before Meetra stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Easy Aria, Revan trusts them so they must have given him good reason to do so or he wouldn’t have brought them here,” she said softly. 

“I’m no spy I assure you, if I was Revan would know instantly,” Bastila countered before she was warned off the subject of their force bond by Revan and she caught a warning look from Meetra Surik herself. She realized instantly that they both wanted to keep the knowledge of her force bond with Revan a secret. She briefly wondered why before she realized that if Malak and his ilk ever learned of it then they could attempt to use it as a weapon against them both. A thought that made her shiver in fear. 

“And I’m not a lackey for the damnable Jedi Council and I resent being labelled as one,” Jolee spat in clear annoyance. “I’ve been in personal exile for the last fifteen years, spent ten of them on Kashyyk until I ran into Revan and Bastila and offered to help so I could have one last adventure before I die,” he explained. “So take your paranoia and stick it somewhere else,” he added with a glare, shocking many of the troopers and especially those who had been Jedi before breaking away to join Revan and Malak in the war. 

“I’m not a part of the order as I refused to re-join after I cleared my name,” Zayne spoke up with an easy going smile.

“Cleared your name? Who are you?” someone inquired. 

“This is Zayne Carrick the young Jedi accused of the Padawan massacre, who would go on to expose the Jedi’s willingness to accept certain irregularities to protect a prominent blood line before going onto bringing down the Covenant and expose their evil as well as help bring down the slaving organization ‘the Crucible’,” Revan introduced Zayne and it was not lost on most of the Ebon Hawk’s crew that the name was well known and well thought of in the fleet. “Beside him is his fiancé Jarael one of the group who helped him pull off such a feat. Neither of them are loyal to the council after what they were put through,” he added to which it was noted there was many nods of agreement. 

“As to the last of the Jedi, this is Juhani. The same young Cathar I rescued on Taris back during the first year of our entry into the Mandalorian War. The same girl I brought before the Jedi to be trained and she has become powerful in the time since then,” he explained as he stepped closer to Juhani who was suddenly looking nervous as she became the center of attention. “Yes she is still loyal to the Jedi ways and the council, although I’m sure she is wary of them now that she knows what they tried to do to me. I don’t begrudge her this because I’m certain once she learns the full truth of what we face she will join us and help us finish our mission,” he stated boldly. “I’m sure some of you recognize Carth Onasi as he was once a member of this very fleet under Saul Karath, like us he has suffered much from Malak and Karath’s betrayal, but I have hope once he learns why this war is happening that he will also wish to join us if not for the Republic then for revenge,” he moved straight on to the next in line deciding to get all of his new friends introduced while he had everyone’s attention. 

“Carth Onasi is known very well among our people General, but he left when the war ended and when we returned he had no interest in re-joining us because it is well known he is loyal beyond approach to the Republic and the Republic only,” Melkor stated as he stepped forward again. “We can’t trust he will not return and warn them of our survival as a fighting force and worse that he will tell the Senate and the Council the full truth behind this war. Giving them the chance to make the biggest mistake ever and send someone into the outer rim and alert the enemy to just how weak we all are and that should they invade now we could not resist them even if we did join forces,” he argued. 

This argument caused quite a bit of rumbling of disquiet by the troopers and Jedi in the bay. Bastila looked at Carth and noted he looked somewhat uncertain on what to say. Not a surprise considering he was probably still trying to get over the fact that Revan was in fact still alive and that the Revanchists were still very much active. She couldn’t imagine what he was feeling right now, but she hoped he didn’t let his anger rule him. 

“We are all loyal to the Republic Melkor, however those of us in this fleet do not give our loyalty blindly and thus can’t accept the corruption in the senate that has cost us so damn much and might still cost us even more,” Rikka interrupted him before being cut off as Carth finally spoke up. 

“Yes I’m loyal to the Republic. That loyalty has cost me my wife and my son and my entire planet when Malak and his followers bombed Telos into rubble thanks to Saul Karath betraying us,” Carth finally managed to find his voice and speak. “I admit there is corruption in the senate, you can’t be a part of the military and not know. We saw it during the Mandalorian war and we’ve seen it in this war,” he continued. “If you had asked would I be willing to fight the Republic in order to save it before the start of this new war I would have said no without hesitation, but now after what I’ve lost I have only the service to the Republic left to give my life true meaning. Thus I can’t allow the corruption to continue and I will do what I can to stop it, including fighting the Republic in my own way if I must,” he continued surprising many. “I have many doubts and suspicions about what is true where you and your leader is concerned. Are you truly loyal to the Republic as you say or are you still enemies just waiting to slip a dagger in mine and the Republic’s back when the time is right?” he mused aloud, making many frown at him. “Then there is the anger and hatred I bare looking for a target. Malak and Saul bear the brunt of it for what they did to Telos and are doing to the Republic, but some of it is aimed at Revan and you for starting this whole mess in the first place,” he stated honestly. 

“We understand that Carth, believe me we do, you see us as starting this war for stupid reasons possibly personal glory or just greed and power lust like Malak, Karath and those who follow them,” Revan said with ease stopping anyone else from saying anything. “However once you know the truth of why we started this war then you may find that anger and hatred fades and goes where it truly deserves, although I suppose due to my hesitation and blindness is concerned I still deserve some of it,” he added thoughtfully and honestly shocking Carth and stopping him from saying whatever he was going to say. “But we will discuss that after you have seen just what we are really against,” he added. “You all remember my personal droid HK-47 who went missing on his last mission, but was found on Tatoonie, beside him is T3-M4 a very useful droid we met on Taris before it was bombed to rubble. His help was invaluable as was that of Mission Vao and her friend Zaalbar. Without them we may never have found Bastila and got of Taris before it was bombed,” he finished his introductions of the Ebon Hawk’s crew and Bastila noted Mission was trying not to blush at all the attention Revan’s word’s had given her while Zaalbar just growled lowly beside her. “I expect that each of our guest to be shown the same curtesy the rest of you are given while they are here. I’m hoping they will all join us in our mission once they know the truth, but should they decide to leave then for now I’m content to allow them that option but that is for later,” he concluded. “This fleet will be moving to Reekiad within the hour. I want everyone of you and every ship ready to move by then, dismissed,” he ordered after a few moments of silence. 

Bastila and the others watched as the troopers and Jedi were dismissed. Some of them were still giving them wary glances not that she was too surprised by this. She took note that neither Meetra Surik or Rikka had left but were still waiting in the bay as Revan watched his people file out. Finally he turned back to them. 

“Rikka I want you to find quarters for my friends and then take them to the mess hall for a quick meal. Once that is done bring them to the observation area on the bridge and we will finally show them just what is behind all this mess as Meetra so put it,” Revan requested to which the young Twi-Lek nodded in agreement. “Go with Rikka, she will show you to your rooms where you can freshen up before taking you to the mess for a meal as I’m sure you are all hungry after our foray on Tatoonie,” he told them. “Once you are refreshed and fed we will talk about the truth you all seek,” he promised. 

“You better,” Carth muttered before he moved to follow the red skinned Twi-Lek as did most of the others. 

Revan smirked having heard what Carth had said as he passed. He didn’t begrudge him his paranoid nature given what he had gone through, and seeing as he was at least willing to listen to him then it showed he was not too far gone to be convinced.

“Go Bastila, I need to find out what my fleet’s status truly is and plan our next couple of moves once I’ve given Canderous Mandalore’s mask,” he said gently when he noted Bastila had not moved an inch from where she had stood. 

Bastila frowned before nodding, turning and heading after the others as they followed Rikka. For reasons she knew were from jealousy she felt nervous leaving Revan on his own with Meetra Surik even though she’d seen no signs of romantic attachment between them. Shaking her head she tried to clear her thoughts of such things, even though the unease failed to go away, she glanced ahead wondering just what they would be told once they’d been given time to freshen up and have a nice hot meal. Just what was it that Revan and his people were hiding? What was it they believed so important as to come back and wage a war against the Republic they were trying to save?

Revan watched Bastila leave the bay knowing thanks to the bond she felt uneasy about doing so as Meetra was still here. She didn’t know how to truly feel about his connection to Meetra and was feeling jealous of that connection. Although that she even admitted she was jealous to herself was a huge step forward in Revan’s mind, her sudden shift in thoughts to what he was going to tell her showed she was not going to dwell on her uneasy feelings too long. 

“So what now Revan?” Meetra inquired breaking into his own thoughts.

“Now you show me where my fleet truly stands, from what I saw from the cockpit windows there had to be a mistake in the numbers I was given,” Revan replied.

“You are correct, probably due to the upheaval they were going through after Malak’s betrayal,” Meetra assured him as she turned and led him towards the bridge. “Still we need more ships and manpower if we are to complete the mission,” she stated.

“We’ll find them Meetra I assure you,” Revan said calmly and with total belief. 

As he entered the bridge he hoped his belief would prove correct, the mission had to be completed if they were to have any chance of surviving and keeping the Republic alive and more to the point cleansed of all the corruption it suffered at the moment.


	4. chapter 4

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Bastila sighed as she looked around the room she had been given in an isolated portion of the ship alongside the others, Rikka had led them here straight from the hangar. According to the young Twi’Lek these were the only quarters not in use as the people who had once used them had been killed in their escape from Malak’s coup, she could feel an echo of force energy hence she guessed whoever had stayed in this room before had been a Jedi at one time. Sitting down she rubbed her forehead and wondered just what the Council would say if they knew where she was, if they knew she had allowed Revan to return to his people to lead them once more. Would they simply exile her like they had Meetra Surik or would they go for harsher methods like in Revan’s case, bile almost forced its way up her throat as she imagined been subjected to what they had done to Revan. It was not a pleasant thought; in fact it made her feel sick. 

“I hope the quarters are to your liking” Rikka’s voice made her turn to find the Twi’lek had re-joined her and was now watching her with some interest. 

“They are fine thank you Rikka” Bastila responded after quickly putting her current thoughts behind her. “I don’t require anything more elaborate, I deserve no special treatment” she added absently. 

“The Jedi Council would disagree, to them you are their special weapon, a weapon they unleashed on us and thanks to you Revan was captured and almost killed” Rikka shot back a glare suddenly appearing on her features. 

“I didn’t know they would try and murder him Rikka I swear to you I did not, what they tried to do to him was only revealed later on Kashyyk when we made our deal” Bastila told her with a sigh. “I was appalled to learn they had misled me, that they had used my faith in them to try and do something so against the code it was almost like my heart had been ripped out” she explained as best she could. 

“It is something I still cannot truly fathom and yet I know it is the truth, the force shows me it is what happened and I will not allow them another attempt to do that to him” she told her. “Believe whatever you wish but at this point in time I am as loyal to Revan and you are and I know he will return that loyalty and keep his pact to me” she stated with complete conviction.   
Rikka stared at her in surprise and considered what Rikka probably thought of her as she did not really know her, was she loyal to Revan the answer was yes. He had earned it over the course of their adventure, he had been protecting her even when she had not known who he truly was, since he had had risked his life for hers and even helped her recover her father’s body and his holocron. He had helped get her mother to Manaan where she could get proper treatment for her illness, he had shown her glimpses of the truth and already stated quite clearly he had feelings for her. Feelings she was returning more and more as time went on especially after the heated kiss they had shared, 

“I do not trust you Bastila Shan, you are dangerous to us of that I am sure but Revan has given us our orders and thus you will be given all due respect but I will be watching to ensure you do not betray us” Rikka finally stated coldly. “Malak has already proven what lack of caution can cause, I will not allow another betrayal to cripple us so take heed of any actions you take from this point on” she warned. 

“As you wish Rikka but I think time will prove my words are the truth” Bastila responded calmly. “I will prove my loyalty, no matter what you might think due to my so called position as the Council’s secret weapon in this I am on Revan’s side as long as he can prove that in the end he intends to save the Republic we all serve and I know he will indeed prove that” she added. 

“As long as we understand each other Bastila I am willing to give you the chance to prove your words but as you said time will tell what is truth” Rikka shot back. “Now please follow me to the mess hall, you will need a good meal before you meet with Revan to learn the full truth behind this war” she said after taking a deep breath as she set aside the rest of what she wanted to say to the Jedi.   
Bastila followed her out of the room to find Carth and the others bar T3 and HK who had vanished when they headed to their quarters, Rikka then led them through the huge battleship. Carth seemed far more at ease than he had since they landed, it took her a few minutes to realise the reason was because he was a Navy man and was thus well used to been on ships such as this. The mess hall once they reached it was not full thankfully but the few soldiers who were inside all turned to watch them curiously, she only saw one glare directed at Canderous but it quickly vanished and the young man who had sent it sighed and went back to his meal. 

“You know if it is one thing I have missed it is shipboard food” Carth said with a slight grin for now ignoring all the heavy stuff just waiting to fall of them when they met up to Revan to learn just what was really going on. 

“You are joking right Carth?” Mission inquired with surprise. 

“Frak no, the Navy serves the best food to its people believe me” Carth shot back insistently. “Why do you think so many of us join up” he added with a grin whilst Mission shared a confused look with Zaalbar. 

Grabbing a plate they quickly moved up the line and chose what they wanted to eat, Bastila was not surprised by most of it been hot food instead of the cold goop some of the others seemed to have expected as she had served on Navy ships before. Sitting at one of the tables they all dug in as one of the kitchen staff showed up and poured them all some water, Rikka sat off to the side watching clearly not very hungry.

“So what do you think he will tell us?” Carth finally inquired drawing their attention. “What is this big secret they are hiding” he wondered aloud. 

“I truly do not know Carth, all I’ve seen are brief glimpses of images that make no sense and he quickly closes them off once he realises he has slipped” Bastila told him quietly. “But I do know he considers it something far more deadly than even the Mandalorians were, something he considers to be worth coming back and making war on the Republic I know he still serves in his heart” she stated and Carth couldn’t help but frown at her lack of doubt. 

“You truly believe that Bastila?” he couldn’t help but inquire. 

“I do Carth, I’ve seen and felt it through the link” Bastila answered still been careful to not be overheard by Rikka. “It is where his loyalty lies, when he said he was pretending to be Sith he was not lying and were it not the truth he would not have saved me back on his command ship when Malak first betrayed him” she explained. 

“What do you mean he saved you, I don’t’ remember reading anything in the report that he saved your life during that time” Carth shot back frowning. 

Bastila let out a sigh knowing Carth might not like what she was going to say next but now the question had been asked it had to be answered. “When Malak opened fire on Revan’s command ship Revan used the force to push me out of the way of one of the hits, that hit would surely have killed me and he ensured it did not” she informed them all as they were all now listening with interest. “He had no reason to do it, he left himself completely open to Malak’s attack to save me and I knew if I told the council that they would not believe me and at worse believe I may have been tainted by my contact with him and thus I said nothing” she continued. 

“Are you certain Bastila that is what he intended to do?” Juhani inquired leaning towards her. “I mean you were in the middle of a duel at that time, isn’t it possible he was attacking you in anger and he had not realised he had been betrayed by Malak” she pointed out carefully.

“No he intended to save me Juhani I know that for a fact thanks to well you know what” Bastila replied but stopping from saying anything about the bond as she noted Rikka lean forward with some interest as well. “For some reason he wanted me alive, and he was willing to risk his life to ensure I lived even then and that is not something the council would ever accept” she stated. 

The others frowned somewhat as she avoided mentioning the bond so she angled her head towards Rikka and then shook it, it took a few seconds but the rest of them nodded in understanding. She didn’t know if Rikka knew about the bond or not, but until Revan let her know who knew and who did not she was unwilling to say anything. 

“I guess I can see how the council might view you if you had put that in your report, I know they had a saying that once you fall to the dark side you can’t come back no matter what” Carth told her with a sigh. 

“And had you asked me about that before I met Revan I would have told you I believed in that saying whole heartedly Carth but now I do not, I fear the Jedi have a faulty view of what one can endure whilst emerged in the dark side and what can be redeemable” Bastila replied shocking Rikka who was now listening in as best she could. “I’ve seen proof that Revan is not lost to the dark side, and neither are his troops and before you ask how I can know that it is because I do not feel any tendrils of the dark side on this ship or in close proximity to us” she stated. 

“I agree with her, I feel nothing of the dark side close to us” Jolee agreed as he finished his meal. “It is strange but not unexpected considering things but if the Jedi Council was correct and Revan and his forces had all fallen to the dark side the Jedi in this party would feel it all around us and we don’t” he added with a shrug.

“Juhani, Zayne do you feel anything?” Carth inquired as he finished his meal and quickly began to drink his glass of water.

“No not a thing, the only time I’ve felt the dark side was when Bastila and the others were kidnapped by that Hutt scum back on Tatoonie and when Revan returned with them safe it was gone” Zayne answered rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I found that strange, that he could delve so deep into it and yet come back and yet he did it and I saw the proof with my own eyes” he mused aloud as he recalled that exact moment. 

“I do not feel anything either, I thought for sure once Bastila revealed the truth to me I would feel the dark side either on him or when I realised we were coming to his fleet but I feel nothing of that sort” Juhani said with a shake of her head. “All I feel is some residual anger about Canderous been here but that has been muted a lot by what was said in the hangar bay, as far as we are concerned they have accepted Revan’s command to treat us with respect whilst we are here” she added. 

“I think that says it all Carth that they all agree on this and they would know better than us, and they wouldn’t lie to us about it either” Mission stated as Carth mauled over their words. “Bastila knows better than anyone where he stands, they understand one another and trust one another and I seriously doubt they will break their deal” she continued.

“You will find no signs of the dark side in this fleet Carth Onasi, we are servants of the Republic just as Revan told you” Rikka butted in drawing their attention as they fished their own meals and drinks. 

“We just want to see it strong again, able to withstand what we know will come one day and it can’t do that with the leadership it has right now and the Jedi as they stand in this time are all but impudent” she concluded and to Carth’s surprise he noted none of his companions seemed willing to argue the point and he knew deep in his heart he couldn’t either. 

“Ok enough of the serious stuff that we already know, we’ve eaten and had a refreshing drink can we now go where Revan is and hear the full story you know the things we don’t know” Mission inquired almost sarcastically. 

Instead of been insulted by the younger Twi’lek’s tone Rikka smiled in amusement as she reminded her of herself when she a teenager before she had been enslaved, that was so long ago now that she could barely remember just what it was like to be able to be so free with how you responded to people. She had quickly learned once she was a slave never to be sarcastic to her owners no matter how much she had wanted to, agony had been her reward for having a quick tongue. Glancing at the others she noted they all looked eager for her agree to Mission’s request, knowing it was time she nodded her head and stood up and headed for the conference room and she didn’t have to look back to know the others were following her. 

Revan glanced at Meetra and nodded his head letting her know that Rikka was leading his team to the conference room, Meetra nodded back knowing that the most important part of Revan’s plans for this group of people he had assembled was now in play. At least Revan had been happy that more of their people had survived Malak’s coup, that they had not been so badly mauled as they had once believed. They had double the man power, ships, tanks and cannons than the first count had suggested and if his ploy to gather the Mandalorians to his banner succeeded it would make them even stronger. 

“General the fleet has reported all ships are prepared to move to Reekiad at your command” one of his Majors reported after saluting him.   
Revan nodded in acceptance. “Very well then tell all ships to jump to light speed and head for Reekiad” he commanded. “Major Hunt you are in command whilst Meetra and I bring my friends into the full picture” he added as he turned to head for the conference room. 

Major Hunt snapped to attention at his words. “Yes General, I will make sure we all make it there in one piece” he assured him. 

“I know you will, only interrupt us if something important happens or a communication comes in through the Ebon Hawk, I ordered the ships comm routed into our systems just in case so make sure to keep an eye on it” Revan ordered. 

“Yes sir understood” Major Hunt nodded in understanding as he the two left the bridge and he turned and put himself on the wide speaker. “This is Major Hunt to all ships in the fleet, General Revan has ordered us all to jump to light speed and head straight for Reekiad” he instructed. “Make your jump preparations and then head to Reekiad at your best speed” he ordered. “Captain Cole begin jump prep and once the calculations are done make the jump to light speed” he added turning to another of the bridge crew. 

“Yes sir” Captain Cole nodded and quickly set to work. 

+TR+

(Nar Shaddaa)

Ana Sunrider groaned as she came too once more, she had long since lost track of how long she and her team had been held prisoner in the complex they had been sent to scout. She just knew it had been a while, her last contact with the council had been just before they had landed on the planet and from there things had gone very wrong very fast and they had not had time to send out a call for help. She had not been able to talk to her mother in private as she knew the rest of the council were listening, that they would frown on what they would class as sentimentality and irrelevant feelings. However whilst they were prisoners she could not for the life of her tell if the people who held them were actually Sith as they had been led to believe, since been captured she had not once felt the tendrils of the dark side within the complex. None of the occupants of the complex seemed truly evil, they hadn’t been killed and apart from one of the occupants someone she believed may have force potential she’d seen no real hostility. The one called Atton Rand had been angry and rather forceful when he was on duty as their guard, she sensed a deep sense of loss within him and he blamed them.   
She didn’t know what he blamed them for but whatever it was it had left a deep psychological scar inside him and it was wreaking havoc on his soul, she feared that if she was correct and he did have the potential to use the force then he was possible he could be overwhelmed by the dark side if he allowed this sense of loss and anger to consume him fully. The rest of his group however seemed far more in control of themselves and her senses told her little, what she did know from small snippets of conversation and her own force powers was they had not once made contact with Malak or his fleet since they had been captured. That was very strange to her mind, if they were Sith and loyal to Malak then they would have contacted the Sith Lord and informed him of their capture but they hadn’t just like they hadn’t made any kind of contact since the coup against Revan. They had gone dark and cut off all contact with the outside world hence the need to investigate, was it possible they had cut themselves off from the Sith fleet in response to Malak turning on Revan. Was it possible they were still loyal to Revan or at least his memory she wondered? Was that what was eating away at Atton Rand, the loss of their leader? She frowned as she considered this possibility as it opened dangerous pathways. 

Revan had once been one of her mother’s informal students and whilst he had been so he had become a fast friend to her mother and also to her, hell she’d had a crush on Revan for some time before the war had erupted. The man had been smart, loyal and strong in the force much stronger than any Jedi she’d met before even when compared to members of the council. Her mother had always expected great things from Revan, his efforts in the war would prove her faith in his abilities were not wasted even if the rest of the council were against what Revan was doing. Yet it seemed as if Revan had lost himself during the war, although sometimes she found herself doubting if that was the truth of the matter. Revan had never struck her as someone who would lose themselves in darkness; he was too controlled unlike his former best friend Malak. 

She had never liked or trusted Malak as something about him always made her wary of him, perhaps before the war he may have been a different kind of man but during it when she had known him he just seemed to like indulging the darkness of the war. Now he had proved that her caution had been correct, he was insane and would do exactly what the Council had feared Revan had been trying to do until Malak had betrayed and killed him. When the news had come in whilst most Jedi and especially the Council celebrated the fact that Revan had been removed, she and her Mother had not celebrated the news as they both felt the loss of a friend. Suddenly her force senses went haywire as she felt the life force of her fellow Jedi team member Brandon die violently, standing up she watched as Rand staggered out of Brandon’s cell staring at his hands as if he had never seen them before. She suddenly felt sick as she realised Rand was now falling into the void as his bitterness overcame him, the whole team was now in danger from his rage. She had to find a way out of here and fast before he killed the rest of them, sitting down she closed her eyes and began to think and plan. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Revan watched as the group sat down and Rikka took her place behind him, this was one of the most crucial parts of his plan to enlist them all to their cause and thus he had to succeed. Meetra took a seat at the table as well, taking a breath he began. 

“I told you when I revealed myself the Republic is not our enemy and that our entire act of pretending to be Sith was a ruse made to fool the true enemy, that enemy lies far in the outer regions where we no longer travel” he explained. “I also told you I found out about this enemy from Mandalore when I defeated him, that is the truth and at first I did not believe what he told me but as I used the force I could sense the truth of his words” he went on. “And I realised with horror that the entire Mandalorian war had been a simple test of our strength, thousands had died all so the enemy could access our strengths and weaknesses” he paused and regained control of his emotions which for a minute had raged as he recalled that moment of realisation. 

“What enemy Revan, what is this mysterious force that has all of you so damn worried?” Carth demanded to know. 

“Sith and I am not talking about fallen Jedi claiming to be Sith I mean true Sith” Revan answered after staring into their eyes one at a time. “Red skinned Sith from the planets of Korriban and Moraband,   
Malachor and Ziost, the most dangerous type of Sith you will ever meet” he stated darkly. “They survived in numbers untold of, even beyond what some could imagine after all the wars we have fought against them they survived and it is them at the head of a huge empire out there beyond the outer rim world’s lost to time and knowledge until now” he told them. 

“How is that even possible Revan they were all killed during the purge after the last great Sith war?” Jolee demanded instantly alert and leaning forward for the answer. 

“The purge was not as complete as it should have been as I told you before the Jedi and Republic got arrogant and because of that arrogance a great many Sith managed to escape deep into the outer rim and beyond, they forged a new empire with one all-powerful Sith in charge who is known as the Emperor” Revan answered calmly. “This Sith is unlike anything any of us have encountered before, the dark side aura he excludes is disturbing on so many levels and he supposedly has the ability to corrupt anyone” he informed them. 

“Are you suggesting Malak and those like him turned due to exposure to this Sith?” Zayne inquired thoughtfully. 

“No not all of them just a few that went on scouting missions which included Malak and myself, but I did not turn yes I have accepted the dark side and even drawn on it but I do not let it control me” Revan responded. “Malak it would seem was not so lucky that is if what I suspect is true, from there he sought others in the fleet dissatisfied with my leadership and from that grew his coup” he mused. 

“But you don’t know that is what happened to Malak Revan, I know you don’t want to hear this but he had begun to change during the war and some of us did notice that change” Meetra decided to cut in and play devil’s aggravate. “He may have decided to supplant you as leader before he came into contact with this Emperor, power can change even the best of people the Jedi learned that the hard way before with Ulic Qel Droma when he fell” she pointed out. 

“True that is a possibility and one I try not to think is the truth as that meant my friend turned on me without me even seeing or sensing it, that I was so blind to the truth he was able to forged a large percentage of my own fleet and attempt to kill us all” Revan agreed after a short silence. “Anyway back to the point this Emperor is dangerous beyond anything even the Jedi have faced before, the Empire he commands is huge and is fixated on revenge for the defeats of the past” he stated moving the topic back on subject. “They are building ships, fighters, tanks and cannons as well as training thousands of troops and new Sith acolytes for the war they intend to eventually unleash” he told them. 

“You said you had proof Revan” Carth spoke up frowning wondering if anything they were been told was really true. 

“And so we do” Revan said simply before clicking a button on the nearby terminal and activating the large screen they faced. 

Soon they were all watched the vid been played showing exactly what Revan had been talking about, Meetra had already seen the vid but watched it again anyway trying to see if she had missed anything important. When the huge black temple was shown Bastila could not help but shiver as she could almost see the darkside aura that surrounded it, this was what had drove Revan and his people had come back as they had. She now had all the pieces to the puzzle she had been trying to put together since learning Revan survived and about his mysterious mission, now it all made sense why he had been intent on taking control of the Republic. In its weakened state the Republic would be no match for the sort of power and strength of arms this Sith Empire had, the ships were huge beyond what she had seen before and nothing the Republic had would be a match for them.

“This is why you sought out the Star Forge isn’t it?” she finally inquired breaking the silence that had descended as they all watched the vid play. 

“Yes, we first learned about it during the war as nothing but a myth and then we found the first Star Map back on Dantoonie hidden in that temple defended by droids beyond anything the Republic could create” Revan answered with a nod of his head. “From there we tracked it down the others maps as the war continued but it was not until we had actually found the Empire Mandalore told us about that we actually located it hidden in a now forgotten part of the galaxy and yet was once the life blood of a galaxy spinning Empire” he explained. “Once we found it we learned how to use it and began to create a new line of battle ships and cruisers just like the one we are on now, these ships are a match in firepower for those the Empire are building” he continued. “Fighters and tanks were also created before we made our first probing attack on the Republic” he stated. 

“No wonder you outclassed us so badly when you came back” Carth muttered.   
“The Republic’s lack of rebuilding and loss of so many of its best commanders and admirals was just as much at fault than our superior weaponry and ships” Revan pointed out. “The Star Forge is the key to us having any chance of destroying the Empire but at the moment it is in Malak’s hands and he using it to reinforce his own fleet and army” he pointed out. 

"So part of your plan is to regain control of it?” Zayne stated to which Revan nodded. “More likely if it is so important to any kind of victory in this war then Malak clearly will have it well defended” he mused. 

“Of course he will he is not so lost to the dark side that he would abandon all military tactics and common sense, he will defend that to the last” Revan said. 

“Is your fleet powerful enough and large enough to take it from him Revan?” Juhani inquired with a slight frown. 

“At this moment in time I would not risk my fleet in an attempt, not until we know what kind of defences they have around them and more importantly the defence shield around it will have to be deactivated before any attack” Revan answered. 

“What defence shield?” Jolee asked leaning forward in interest. 

“The Star Forge is stationed above a planet which houses a temple which hides the controls to the defence shield to the Forge, however this shield is not just a shield it also has the ability to render any ship that enters its orbit inactive causing them to crash” Revan explained. “So when we are ready to reclaim the Star Forge we will have to send a team to disable the shield and that will not be easy, the controls to it is located in a temple on the surface and that is shielded as well and can only be opened by the survivors of the race that not only built it but riled the Empire I mentioned as well before it faded away into myth” he told them. “There are two tribes of them, one wants to re-embrace their old ways and reclaim the old power whilst the other wishes to keep them buried and destroy the Star Forge” he concluded. 

“So how did you get in the first time?” Jarael inquired. 

“I made a deal with the tribe who wished to destroy the station but of course I lied as I needed the station active if my plan was to succeed, but it was better than helping the tribe who wished to re-embrace their old ways as they wanted me to wipe out the other tribe and I would not do that” Revan answered. “Getting back in to drop the shield a second time will be most difficult especially if I am in the party who returns to the planet” he warned. 

“How do you know Malak didn’t wipe out one or both tribes?” Carth asked as he did not see the Dark Lord of the Sith been patient enough to deal with such issues. 

“I doubt he would bother as he has bigger concerns that two tribes who pose no threat to his forces or his control of the planet, no I suspect they will both still be active” Revan assured him. 

“Back to the issue at hand, this Sith Emperor and his Empire if they have built up such a large force and used the Mandalorians to weaken us then why haven’t they attacked yet?” Juhani demanded to know wanting as much information as she could get before making a choice which she knew she would have to make. 

“Because the Emperor is wary, the previous defeats the Empire has suffered in the past was due to them been over confident and over reaching their resources and thus he wants to be certain they have a winning hand” Revan explained. “That gives us an advantage, it buys us time as did the fact we pretended to be Sith as it made him content to watch us weaken the Republic even more than the   
Mandalorians had, had Malak and his people had not betrayed us we could have assumed command and rebuilt the Republic before he even knew what we were actually doing” he continued. “Or at least that was our hope, still we have time and hopefully the Emperor will remain wary for some time” he added. 

“He must have spies though keeping an eye on things here right?” Zayne pointed out as it made sense if everything this Emperor was had done was because he was intent on crushing the Republic then he had to have spies watching so he knew when the Republic was weak enough for him attack. 

“He may have spies here although we’ve tried to kill any we found up to Malak’s coup, I doubt he even cares now if there are any still out there” Revan replied with a shake of his head. “That is a problem, but we can deal with that once Malak and his people are dead” he stated. 

“Revan I have to ask what do you intend to do about the Republic should you succeed in killing Malak and his people?” Bastila finally inquired silencing the room as all eyes turned to him awaiting his response. 

+TR+

(Leviathan)

Malak stood on his command deck watching as his fleet decimated the planetary defences of Illum; his ships outnumbered the weakened Republic forces which were in disarray and even now trying to retreat. He shook his head in disgust at their weakness and he wondered why he had fought for so long to try and save the Republic, why he had stayed subordinate to Revan for so long before finally betraying him when they were all weak and beneath him. Revan had fallen never even once knowing he was about to be betrayed, whilst it was true he had survived the attempt on his life he had still failed to see the betrayal coming and thus allowed him to assume his rightful place as ruler. He had killed all the weaklings who had followed Revan and made his own forces a true force of evil, there would be no room for pity or remorse or sentiments like friendship or family. The ship suddenly rocked to the side almost sending him flying but he managed to right himself, turning he glared at Admiral Karath.

“Sorry my Lord a Republic battle cruiser has just dropped out of hyper speed right on top of us, they are opening fire” Karath reported nervously. 

“Utter fools” Malak spat with a shake of his head as in his mind he felt no respect for a beaten enemy trying to pretend to be strong. “Force all our fire on that cruiser Admiral, annihilate them” he ordered. 

“At once my Lord” Karath responded nervously. “All weapon batteries focus fire on the cruiser that just jump in above us” he commanded into the comms.   
Malak watched as a few seconds later his ship opened up on the enemy ship quickly crippling it, the Republic just did not have the fire power to fight his forces in any kind of battle. ‘It was almost sad in a way’ he mused inside his head. He frowned as his ship rocked again as the crippled Republic cruiser tried to escape by firing on the bridge, but the shields held and he watched with a smirk as a few seconds later the cruiser exploded in a fireball which he found beautiful to watch. 

“The ship has been destroyed Lord Malak and the remaining Republic ships are fleeing; we have achieved Planetary control of Illum” Karath reported relieved that there was no more setbacks in this battle as he knew Malak did not like things getting in the way of his plans. 

“Excellent Admiral, begin the ground attack immediately I want this planet subjugated in seven hours at the least, once we have Illum in our hands we have a stepping stone towards the core worlds” Malak stated. “Delay will not be tolerated Admiral, make sure General Craydon knows that before he departs” he warned. 

“Of course my Lord” Karath responded as he watched the Dark Lord leave the bridge. “Captain Neda you have the bridge, ensure our fleet surrounds the planet before I get back from seeing the General” he ordered his second who quickly snapped to attention and saluted. 

“Yes Admiral” Neda responded and moved to comply. 

Karath turned and exited the bridge hoping to reach the cargo bay before Craydon began to disembark, he wanted to ensure the General knew the Dark Lord’s orders so if he screwed up it was on him and would cause him any trouble. 

+TR+

(Nar Shaddaa)

Ana watched as Atton Rand strolled passed the cages that held her team and felt the turmoil going on inside his mind through the force, the pain was truly astounding to her. What was worst was the fact his colleagues seemed unaware of how broken Rand had become, she sensed they too were in pain but had not let it consume them as Rand had and yet they seemed frozen in time. Lost on how to act since the coup against Revan, from the scattered conversations she had managed to overhear in the last hour these people were not Sith allied with Malak no they were Revan’s people. Cut off from the fleet by their own actions, which made her team’s situation here all the more problematic as she knew they all blamed the Jedi for Revan’s downfall. She had been aware of the plans to attack Revan’s ship to capture him, to kill him if they had no other choice. Her Mother had told her they were sending Bastila Shan to ensure the attack had a high chance of success due to her skill with battle meditation, she had thought the council was taking a huge risk sending Bastila considering if they lost her the Republic would probably fall without her battle meditation pushing the odds in their favour. Clearly the plan had worked just not in the way the council had expected; Revan was believed dead and seen as there had been no news of him she believed that was the truth, except her last commutation with her Mother had triggered a slight vibration in the force. She had brought up the idea of Revan surviving only for her Mother to quickly change the subject, it had been very odd.   
Rand vanished through the door much to her relief but she feared what would happen when it was his turn to guard them again, he had already killed Brandon and she feared he might kill another of her team. They had to find some way to escape, quickly before more of them were lost to the man’s destructive rage. The fact he had murdered one of the prisoners seems to have been ignored by the other members of his unit, she wondered if they even cared with how lost they felt. 

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Vima frowned sensing the trembling through the force whenever she tried to feel for her daughter, that meant she was facing danger and more than likely considering her mission her life was on the line as were the lives of her team. She sat down and tried to focus her thoughts, but she knew she had to act now or more than likely she would lose her daughter. She was forbidden from going to after Ana herself or to send a team of Jedi after them, but here was another option but it carried great risk. But she no longer cared about her own welfare just her daughters. She needed to find Zhar as she would need his help to get into the comm room, she needed to contact Revan and fast. Getting up she walked out of her room and went looking for her friend, she found him in the archives reading through one of the many files the archive held.

“Vima are you well?” Zhar inquired quietly as she sat across from him. 

“No I am not, Ana is in great danger and I need to get her and her team aide and whilst I am forbidden from going myself or sending a team of Jedi I can send another team and hopefully without the council finding out” Vima responded. 

“You wish to send Revan and his team, you don’t think the council will find out if you divert them from tracking down the Star Maps” Zhar asked worried. 

“I don’t care if they find out Zhar not anymore, but this is the only move I can make which does not directly disobey the orders I was given as Revan’s team is not just made up of Jedi” Vima responded. “I need you help to get into the comm room so I can talk to them, will you help me?” she inquired knowing the future of her daughter rested on what her friend did next and prayed to the force he would aide her. 

“Of course Vima, but what makes you think Revan will agree to help because let us make no mistake he may not be a true Sith but he will still be very angry with us for what we attempted to do to him” Zhar assured her. 

“Because he was friends with Ana and I feel that will still matter to him if I am right about him still been himself” Vima replied. 

“Very well, I suggest we wait an hour or two as night is falling and most of our companions will soon be asleep and that includes our fellow council members” Zhar advised. 

“Agreed, we will meet in my quarters in an hour and a half and we will proceed and then we will know beyond doubt where Revan stands” Vima agreed with a nod of her head. 

Zhar watched her walk away once she had gotten up after finishing speaking, he prayed to the force Revan truly was still the young man he had trained that he was still in the light. He also prayed that what they were about to do would not have serious consequences later on, he had a feeling Atris and Vrook would use any misstep to try and remove them from the council so they could push their hard line views forward.


	5. chapter 5

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Revan stared at them all as they awaited his response to Bastila’s question, but if he was honest he really didn’t know what he was going to do about the Republic once they had dealt with Malak and his followers. Could he continue the original plan of taking control of the Republic so as to rebuild it stronger than ever, because he knew to do that he would have to finishing subduing it but the problem with that now was how Bastila and the rest of the team he had fought beside for the last few months would react? He knew Carth wouldn’t react well even if he had finally admitted he too knew the Republic was crippled by corruption, would he be willing to aid them in taking over the Republic would Bastila? Or Juhani or even Zayne who whilst no longer a Jedi had a high sense of morals. Would he lose them if he tried to enact their original plan? He just didn’t know but he knew saving the Republic and safeguarding the millions of lives that lived within it had to come before any personal feelings, he had already sacrificed so much to accomplish this one goal as had everyone who had followed him. He could not throw away their sacrifices for his own personal feelings, glancing away for a few seconds he gathered his thoughts before speaking. 

“Honestly I don’t know what I will do about the Republic but I cannot and will not throw away the sacrifices the men and women of this fleet have made to save the Republic from itself, if that means I have to complete the original plan and conquer the Republic before I can rebuild it to resist the True Sith when they come they I will” Revan told them. 

“When that time you will each have to make a choice as will I on where you stand, with us or against us but either way we all are fighting for the Republic it is just we are fighting for a Republic not crippled by corruption or stagnation” he informed them. “I can give you no promises” he stated leaving the others to once again stare at him trying to decide where they would stand when that time came except for Canderous who already knew where he stood. 

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Vima met Zhar as they had agreed and headed straight for the communications room careful to keep an eye out for any of their fellow Council members, neither of them wanted to be seen by any of them and questioned on their business. Thankfully the corridors were mostly empty as the majority of the Jedi were sleeping due to the late hour, but they knew to still be cautious as some Jedi especially the Council members stayed up very late. Once they reached the communications room they reached out with the force just to check if anyone was inside, they felt a slight pulse which showed one person was indeed inside. Vima knew this was going to be tricky but she looked at Zhar who nodded and then they both entered the room, Jade Eriso a short human brunette with startling green eyes that reminded most of emeralds and also a close friend of her daughter Ana. 

“Master Sunrider, Master Zhar is everything okay?” Jade inquired standing up in surprise as the late shift at the communications system was usually quiet unless something serious was happening which to her knowledge there wasn’t right now since she had reported the attack on Illum to the Council. 

“Honestly no Jade everything is not okay, Ana is in great danger and I need to get her and her team aide but I am constricted in how I can help her” Vima stated honestly hoping Jade’s friendship was stronger than her loyalty to the Council and the code she had begun to realise she hated due it getting in the way of her saving her daughter just as she knew Revan and all those who followed him had come to do. She finally saw what they had seen out there during the war the code was flawed, it was outdated by events and situations that had not existed at the time the code was created. 

“Master Atris ordered me not to allow any communications to be sent without her permission” Jade admitted with a frown. “She made it seem like she knew she would become the next Grand Master for certain” she added. 

“That is not a sure thing of that you can be certain of Jade, again Atris steps beyond what power she actually has” Vima said just managing to stop herself from growling. “If anyone will succeed Zirrik it will be Vandar as he has not allowed his or her emotions to cloud their reasoning” she stated. “If not, if force forbid Atris or Vrook succeeds the Jedi are doomed to fall” she added with completed conviction in her tone. “We need to use the comm system Jade, need to do it now before it is too late for Ana or any of her team” she told her looking the young woman in the eyes. 

Jade stared at Vima in shock at her rather blunt words and then glanced at Zhar and noted he did not looked shocked and actually seemed to agree with her, she had to admit she had never been too keen on Atris as whilst she respected her position as a Council member she had never liked her as a person. Atris was well known for been a paranoid and hateful woman to the majority of the younger generation of Jedi, even those who had trained under her had a less than stella impression of her personality. She had a high opinion of herself and her position within the Jedi, hence the way she had given Jade the orders not to let anyone use the comm system. Vrook was hard and showed very little positive emotions, he was usually pretty hard on his students and often pointed out their flaws uncaring of their emotions or the effects his words would have on them. Still what Vima and Zhar was asking of her could get her into a hell of a lot of trouble, hell she could be arrested for doing this but Ana was her best friend and had stood by her throughout her training as a Jedi and even stood up to Atris to protect her when she had got on her bad side. How could she let her die out of fear of reprimand from a woman who clearly had little positive emotions for those under her, letting out a sigh she nodded her head. 

“Do what you need to do to bring Ana and her team home Master Sunrider” Jade finally said. “She would do the same for me if our places were reversed” she stated knowing what she said was the truth to which Vima smiled. 

“Thank you Jade, will you and Zhar please take up positions on either end of the corridor and alert me if anyone comes towards us” Vima requested. 

“Of course Vima, just be quick so we do not put ourselves or Jade in too much trouble” Zhar told her before exiting the room with Jade behind him and then separating to opposite ends of the corridor to keep an eye out for anyone approaching the comm room. 

Vima let out a relived sigh before sitting down and quickly getting to work setting the system to broadcast to the Ebon Hawk, she just prayed Revan would remember his friendship with Ana and be in a mood to aide them without letting his anger at what the Council had done to him getting in the way. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Revan watched as the group continued to sit and think over his words, he didn’t rush them as he knew they had time whilst they travelled to Reekiad. He glanced at Meetra who shrugged clearly unsure what choice they would make, before he could stand up to go talk with her without been overheard Major Hunt returned and snapped a salute off which he returned. 

“Sorry for interrupting your talks General but we are receiving a communications signal from the Ebon Hawk’s comm system, should we patch it through??” he inquired. 

“Yes Major, please do” Revan responded wondering who was on the other end and hoping it wasn’t just the Council once again checking in on them. “Any idea on the I.D of the caller Major?” he inquired as the group turned as one to pay attention to this new information. 

“I believe it is Jedi Master Vima Sunrider” Major Hunt answered. “Serana Lawson was the one who was monitoring the Ebon Hawk’s comm system, she recognised the voice” he added. 

Serana Lawson had been one of the many Jedi Knights who had followed him into the war against the Mandalorians and survived to become one of his best unit commanders, she was tough and had a sound tactical mind. He did not doubt her recognition of the voice on the comm system, but the question was what did Vima want? She had been one of his teachers during his early years granted an informal one but still one he had learned much from, he had been friends with her and her daughter Ana and yet she had still taken part in the Council’s plan to mind wipe him. Could he talk to her without letting his anger at that fact getting the better of him, he supposed he’d have to if he wanted to keep up his ruse. A few seconds later and the Major nodded his head after ordering the signal to be sent to the room they were in; he waited for Vima to speak. 

“Come in Ebon Hawk this is Vima Sunrider do you copy” Vima’s voice said after a burst of static. 

“We read you Master Sunrider, this is Jaks Toulon is there something wrong?” Revan inquired. 

“Cut the crap Revan I know it is you, that you are still very much alive” Vima instantly shot back much to his surprise and clearly Bastila and Meetra shared that surprise by the looks on their faces. “I felt the storm you kicked up in the force, force I don’t think there was anyone who could feel the force who didn’t feel the storm that you kicked up so don’t even bother trying to spin that falsehood with me it is not why I called” she pressed on. “I need your help Revan and I need it now” she stated. 

Revan frowned wondering what was going on that Vima would not care that he was still very much alive. “Why should I do anything for you Vima, you tried to murder me you tried to destroy my very soul?” he inquired. “And why wouldn’t you care that I was still alive, I doubt your fellow Council members didn’t panic if they felt the storm of my rage in the force as you did” he added. 

“Oh they panicked alright and Atris immediately tried to blame it on you but I deflected her as best I could, she and Vrook have become darker and more driven by the most negative of emotions and they hate you and the fact I can feel it when they speak should tell you how bad it is” Vima answered honestly surprising Revan even more that she seemed to be on the outs with her fellow Council members. “Zirrik is old and about to step down Revan, if Atris or Vrook succeed him then the Jedi may not survive as they are supposed to be” she stated and this time she shocked everyone who was listening. 

“Master Sunrider, what is happening back at the Temple?” Bastila asked. 

“A divide is developing Bastila, so far it is still small but it will grow as time goes on, the Council is splitting on what is the right course of action” Vima answered. “Right now we are falling back and trying to create a defendable line for when Malak comes at us again in force, since our attempt to mind wipe you Atris and Vrook continued to badger the Council with the belief you may yet live and that we should have killed you instead, from there the Council split on who agreed with them and who did not and once we felt that storm of yours we argued over the idea of whether it would be a good idea to have you back in the war drawing Malak’s focus whilst the Republic rebuilt it’s war effort whilst others argued you would ignore Malak and focus your rage on us for what we tried to do to you” she explained. “But as I said I managed to deflect them, most still believe it is impossible that you survived what we tried to do, as for my part in that Revan you know had I refused to help I would have been removed from the Council and I cannot fight Atris and Vrook’s influence if I lose my position even though right now I am risking that very thing but I no longer care” she told them. “I regret that I tried to aide them in this as does Zhar, that I probably hurt you during the process but I cannot leave the Council in Atris and Vrook’s hands and thus I will do what I can to counter balance them” she finished. 

Revan frowned and leaned back in his chair but even as he did he could feel Bastila’s concern over what Vima had told them through their bond, the idea of the Council been split worried Bastila and he would guess it worried Juhani too considering that they were the only active Jedi in their group. 

“Vima what has happened to make you take this step, to disregard my return?” Revan finally asked.   
“Ana led a team to Nar Shaddaa to check out one of your listening posts which went dark the minute Malak staged his coup which makes me believe they were loyalists and refused to kneel to Malak” Vima answered with a sigh. “They vanished which means they were likely captured, but the Council had refused to send a rescue team after them and they have refused to allow me to go after them and thus because they view my daughter as expendable I will do whatever it takes to get her help and thus I am turning to you for that help Revan” she informed them. “Ana is your friend Revan, I am not asking for me I am asking for her please go to Nar Shaddaa and save her” she requested. 

Revan stood up and began to pace and wondering exactly what Ana and her team had walked into, if the relay station was one still loyal to him than extracting them would not be a problem but if they were now rogue Sith who had decided to work for themselves than extracting them would be difficult but still he would not leave Ana in uncertain hands as Vima was right she was a friend and one he did not hold accountable for the sins of her Mother. And Vima had just told her the reasons for why she had taken part in trying to mind wipe him, that she regretted agreeing to aide them as did apparently Zhar Lestin one of his former mentors and the one who had taught him the most about using a lightsaber. It seemed not everyone who sat on the Council was his enemy if Vima was to be believed and strangely enough he did, Vima was not one to lie so blatantly and thus he decided to take her at her word. 

“I’ll do it Vima, I will go and rescue Ana and her team and then we will have a very long discussion” Revan finally said surprising Carth but not the majority of the others who had more trust in his word even now they knew who he really was. “Despite what the Council believes I am not an enemy of the Republic, there is more going on here than you know far more is at stake than anyone but my people and now my team know” he told her. 

“Bastila, is this true?” Vima inquired sounding intrigued instead of doubtful which again shocked the room. 

“Yes Master Sunrider, Revan has just explained to us the truth behind everything that has happened since the Mandalorian war” Bastila informed her. “We are still trying to absorb all the information he has told us, Malak it seems is but a distraction to the real threat we are facing but Malak and his forces are the more pressing threat at present” she added. “Revan and his people are just not willing to follow what they see as a corrupt Republic and Senate and forgive me for saying a stagnate and blind Jedi Council” she added honestly causing Revan to smile as he imaged what Vima would make of that statement.

Vima was silent for a few minutes as she considered what Bastila had told her, sadly she found she could not even argue Revan’s point of view or that of his people and then suddenly frowned at the fact Bastila had seemed to indicate Revan still have people loyal to him. Clearly not all of the fleet who had followed him had been a part of Malak’s coup and had clearly broken away from him. Then the question became had Revan been reunited with those loyalists, had the Ebon Hawk been intercepted by them which meant they were no longer on the mission the Council had ordered them on. 

“I wish I could argue with you on that point but right now I just can’t, the Council is well aware of the corruption in the senate but will not interfere with it and I suppose the Jedi has become stagnate over the years” she finally admitted deciding to think on what Bastila had said later. “Anything else we have to say to one another we can discuss later Revan, get to Nar Shaddaa and find my daughter and bring her home” she ordered before signing of.   
Revan instead of frowning at the tone Vima had just used on him smiled as he knew it had come from her concern for Ana instead of trying to assert some kind of control over him, nodding at the Major who had remained quiet throughout the conversation he could not close the channel the man nodded then saluted and left. 

“Meetra you will be in command whilst I am rescuing Ana and her team, Canderous I will need your aide as I have no doubt you have contacts on Nar Shaddaa we can use and possibly hire” Revan instructed and was relieved when neither argued. “Jolee, Zayne, Zaalbar you are will us as well, along with HK, T3 and Niks the rest of you will remain here” he added and was not surprised when Bastila, Mission and Juhani began to argue in protest. “Enough, Nar Shaddaa like Tatoonie is one of the seats of power for the Hutts if not one of the biggest, they presence and sense of power is unquestioned and I will not risk any of you falling into their hands and after what happened to you on Tatoonie and what could have happened had we not reached you in time I would think you would understand why I will not take you there” he growled and for a few seconds Bastila felt the same rage he had felt back on Tatoonie when they were taken by the Hutt Braka. “It is not a question of me doubting your skills, it is just not worth the risk to take the entire group and expose Bastila and the other females in the group to the Hutt’s perversions” he pointed out. 

“Fine I don’t really want to end up a slimy Hutt’s plaything” Mission said sulkily crossing her arms across her chest in muted protest. “But I really hate been left behind Revan” she growled. 

“Then we need to find you something to do, Rikka how about you take Mission on as an aide” Revan shot back with a grin as Mission started at his statement. “Show her the ropes and find some light duties she can take on for you, Mission pay attention to what Rikka will teach you because if you chose to join us then you will need to learn a host of skills” he added before the young Twi’lek could protest. 

“Can she teach me to use a lightsaber?” Mission asked suddenly with a wide grin surprising Zaalbar and Carth who looked at the young Twi’lek with shocked looks whilst Jolee and Revan were unable to supress a laugh. 

“She could actually train you in it as I trained her but only if you pay attention to her lessons, using a lightsaber is not to be taken lightly” Revan responded taking her request seriously. “It took Rikka almost a year to become proficient in using one, and it was not an easy task as unlike Jedi or Sith she had no force potential to aide in learning and neither do you hence it will be harder if you really want to learn” he warned. 

“I do really want to learn Revan, blasters are cool and all but they can be limited if someone gets up close to you” Mission shot back with a serious look. “I think it will be worth it to learn, and if I am to help her in her other duties I might as well get to do something fun whilst I am at it” she added cheekily causing Revan to chuckle a shake his head in amusement. 

“Fine, Rikka will train you but you will listen to everything she says and you will heed any warnings she gives” Revan ordered. “If you disobey her or mess around whilst training then I will end the lessons understood?” he warned to which she nodded.

“I understand and I promise I’ll take it seriously” Mission promised glancing between Revan and Rikka who looked uncertain of having her as a student and aide but she finally nodded clearly not about to go against Revan’s judgement. 

“I understand your reasoning Revan even if I still don’t like been left behind, however you are correct it is unwise to take us all to Nar Shaddaa of all places” Bastila said onto the silence that fell. “Plus it will give those of us left to consider your words carefully” she added. 

“Why am I been left here?” Carth inquired with a glare. “I note you are taking all the males in our team but me” he pointed out. 

“No offence Carth but the reason I am leaving you here is because I think you most of all need to think carefully over what you have learned and I do not need you running of to give this information to the Senate or worse the Council” Revan answered hoping he wouldn’t take his reasoning badly. 

“And why would it be a bad thing to give them this information?” Carth demanded to know. 

“Because more than likely they would either ignore it or worse take it seriously and try and parlay with the Sith for peace, should that be done it would be the sign the Emperor needs to realise the time to strike is now. That we are too weak to oppose them” Revan explained. “There can never be peace between the Republic and the Sith Empire and especially not whilst the Jedi live” he added darkly. “You have one serious weakness Carth and that is you let your emotions sometimes get the better of you, I would rather not put you in a position where that flaw could prove fatal to the galaxy” he stated. 

Carth frowned and resisted the urge to lash out at Revan for his rather brutal analysis of his character because sadly he had to admit he was right, hell his first reaction to hearing Jaks was actually Revan was to try and blow his brains out with his blaster uncaring it would probably would have sentenced them all to death once they landed on Revan’s ship. Could he really say he wouldn’t go rushing off to the senate and the Council with what he knew if he had the chance? Would he care that it might make things worse if Revan had not just pointed that out to him? Letting out a sigh he stood up and nodded at Revan, before walking away towards the exit so he could retire to his quarters. 

“You’re right my emotions right now can’t be counted on not to get in the way, so I will stay and think on this some more” he said before leaving fully.   
Jarael and Juhani also left although Jarael kissed Zayne before she retired from the room as well, Revan glanced at Bastila who was looking of seemingly lost in her own thoughts. 

“Meetra once the fleet arrives at Reekiad take up positions around the planet and then send landing parties down to secure the main complex of caves under the central mountain, we’ll set up base there to plot out our next moves” Revan ordered turning to Meetra and Rikka. “Rikka keep an eye on Mission whilst you work with her, she is not used to been away from Zaalbar especially when you begin training her” he added quietly so only they would hear him. “Bastila I want you to work with Meetra, learn about the ins and outs of the fleet, perhaps seeing how my people act will help you make a choice” he added turning to where she stood until she nodded in agreement and then exchanged an unsure look with Meetra herself who was not looking forward to having to work with the woman who shared a force bond with the man she still held deep feelings for. 

“Of course General” Rikka nodded in agreement unsure how she really felt about training the younger Twi’Lek, she wasn’t certain she had it in her to fully master the art of using a lightsaber but clearly Revan seemed to think she might and she was willing to give it a try. 

“Get your gear and assemble at the Ebon Hawk we leave in five minutes, Meetra get Niks to meet us there and have Major Hunt drop us out of hyper speed” Revan continued to give orders.

“Don’t take any chances Revan, whoever is in control of that relay station could still be hostile unless they truly are loyalists who for whatever reason did not fall back to the fleet” Meetra warned before leaving to carry out her orders. Inside she tried not to think about the fact once he left she would have to work with Bastila Shan, she didn’t know if there was anything romantic between the two but she was hoping it wasn’t the case considering her own feelings for Revan. 

Revan watched as the group left to get their stuff or just to head for their quarters before turning to glance at the screen which still showed the temple of the Emperor, he knew in time the Sith would come but for now his focus had to be on Malak and his fellow traitors. Turning the screen off he turned and left to get his own gear, he hoped Ana could hold on until he reached her. 

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Vima stared at the communions system for a few seconds wondering if she had truly done the right thing but in the end she knew she had, her daughter was far more important than following the rules of the Jedi who she knew was blind to most things outside their preview and thanks to the code knew very little about emotions of the heart and motherhood. Getting up she exited the room and indicated Jade could return which she did, she thanked the younger girl and told her to keep this between them to which Jade nodded in agreement before re-entering the room and taking her seat once more. Vima quickly joined Zhar and together they returned to her quarters to talk, she hoped Zhar could help her work through some of what she had learned. 

“Did you manage to get Revan’s co-operation?” Zhar inquired once they were safely in side her quarters. 

“I did and I told him of our regret for what we tried to do to him, in return he indicated that he and his people are not traitors that there was something behind what they have done so greater threat we are unaware of” Vima told him. 

“Bastila confirmed it, what I am somewhat concerned about is the idea he still has loyal followers that they may have intercepted the Ebon Hawk and that they are no longer on their assigned mission” she explained as she made them both a drink before taking a seat. 

Zhar frowned not exactly liking the idea of Revan still having followers willing to aide him, traitors or not it made him more of a danger should he decide to attack the Republic again. “What is this enemy he mentioned and why attack us in the first place if they are not traitors?” he asked before downing some of his drink. 

“They didn’t say and he didn’t exactly explain why they attacked but still he agreed to help save Ana and her team and the fact Bastila is alive and free speaks volumes, hopefully once he saves her and brings her home we can discuss this issue in depth” Vima answered with a sigh. “Bastila said they have issues with following a Senate that is corrupt and a Council that is stagnate and blind and I found I could not argue those facts with them” she explained before taking a deep gulp of her own drink. 

“The senate is corrupt and the Council has known it for years Vima” Zhar admitted with a frown. 

“I know I admitted that fact Zhar, but clearly one thing is clear more is going on here than we or the Council know” Vima told him downing the rest of her drink and rubbing her eyes tiredly. “Something set Revan and his people off, something drove them to attack the Republic and in their eyes if what I heard right they did not see it as treason” she told him.

“So now we must wait and prey to the force that Revan and his team can reach Ana before anything happens to them” Zhar said with a sigh and then finished his own drink. “Do you really think he may still have loyalists out there?” he inquired.

“I think he does yes, you remember how charismatic a speaker he was Zhar” Vima responded. “He talked his entire fleet into following him into the outer regions and then to come back and attack the very thing they swore to defend no matter what reason they had for that” she pointed out. “We never took into account that not all of his people may have joined Malak in his coup, that maybe some of them went into hiding and waited for a time to strike back” she pointed out. 

Zhar realised she was correct the Council had just assumed that all of Revan’s people had turned with Malak when he had tried to kill Revan, they had never not once taken into account some may have stayed loyal to their General. 

“What do you plan to tell the Council?” he inquired. 

“Nothing Zhar, they made their choice when they all but condemned her to death along with her team when they refused to send anyone to rescue them and I have made mine in what I am prepared to do to save her” Vima swore before standing up and heading to her bedroom and Zhar realised his friend was tired and thus stood himself and headed for the door. 

“I pray to the force we will not regret this move Vima” he whispered as he left. 

“We won’t, I can feel it” Vima shot back even as the door closed behind him. 

+TR+

(Space)

The Revenge dropped out of hyper speed into the space between two planetary systems, once it settled its hangar doors opened and the Ebon Hawk shot out into deep space and quickly accelerated away at top speed before jumping into hyper speed. Once the Revenge was certain the ship was away it powered up and jumped once more into hyper speed to meet up with the rest of the fleet at Reekiad.


	6. chapter 6

+TR+

(Nar Shaddaa)

Ana trembled as she watched Atton Rand enter the cell of Larinn a Jedi from the peaceful planet Naboo, she watched unable to help and unable to look away as rand clasped his hands around her neck and began to squeeze the life out of her friend and fellow Jedi. The darkness surrounding Rand increased as the attack continued, she watched in horror as her friend struggled to break free even as she quickly weakened from lack of oxygen and began to gasp as her struggles grew weaker. 

“STOP, YOU MUST STOP YOU’RE KILLING HER” Ana finally shouted unable to watch anymore but Rand seemed unable to hear her and continued to squeeze the life out of Larinn and no one else came to investigate the noise not that she had expected anything. 

She watched as Larinn tried one last visible effort to escape by clawing at Rand’s face but she was already too weak to do anything truly hurtful and finally her legs gave out and she collapsed and even as she did she watched as Rand snapped her neck as the body dropped suddenly even as he tried to jerk it upwards. Again after it was over Rand stared at his hands in shock, shock Ana could feel in the force as the darkness receded. She watched as he stumbled away mumbling and she feared she would watch the three other members of her team die before it was her own turn unless they found some way to escape, she noted the saddened and horrified looks on her fellow team mates Jarek, a Corellian Jedi, Kitanna a Twi’Lek Jedi and Halik a Jedi from Dantoonie. She collapsed to the floor and tried not to let despair creep into her soul, she had to be clearheaded and focused if she was going to hopefully find a way out of this for her and her remaining friends.

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Vima awoke sluggishly from a rather deep sleep to an incessant knocking on her door, letting out a curse she had learned long ago from Ulic when she was his student back on Rhen Var. She wondered what Ulic or her Mother Nomi would think of the current situation if they were still alive, would they be able to see the correct path or what was hidden from the Jedi’s view the things Revan had hinted at but refused to say. Both had been powerful Jedi in their time, Nomi had been Grand Master of the Order but she had allowed her position to overtake her life causing her to run away straight to Ulic so she could finally be trained as a Jedi, Ulic may have fallen to the dark side but he had found his back to the light before his death on Rhen Var in her Mother’s arms. The knocking now turned into hard banging against the door, getting up she threw on her robe and moved to the door and having taken a breath opened it. She was only somewhat surprised to find Atris, Vrook and several Jedi on the other side and she did not fail to note that Atris looked all too smug whilst Vrook seemed to be sneering at her. 

“You are under arrest Vima Sunrider for treason” Atris spat even though the smug look never left her face. “I had a feeling you knew more than you were letting on, now I know for sure as I monitored you talk with Revan last night” she told her. “I had the foresight to attach a listening device just in case whoever was on duty was sympathetic to your cause of helping your daughter” she went on. “But I never expected what I heard, conformation of Revan still been alive and worse that you had known about it for some time and that Zhar had agreed to keep this fact secret from the Council” she growled. 

“I am deeply ashamed of you Vima, how could you betray us for no logical reason?” Vrook demanded to know. 

Vima growled knowing that denying anything was pointless and thus she decided not bother wasting time trying. “No logical reason Vrook, the very fact you cannot understand why I did this says everything that is wrong about the Jedi” she spat in response. “My daughter’s life is not expendable and nor are the lives of those who are a part of her team, the Council decided to leave them to their fate and I will not allow that and if that means I have to reach out to Revan of all people then I will” she continued. “Considering he agreed to help that Bastila is alive and well and free says he is not as lost as we had believed” she added after taking a breath. 

“You are a trusting fool Vima as I always knew you were, your history with the traitor Ulic Qel-Droma has clearly blinded you” Atris shot back. “No one comes back from the dark side, that you were ever allowed to sit on the Council was clearly a mistake but now Vrook and I will correct that mistake and now I have proof that Revan is alive and still very much a threat” she added with a smug smile that made Vima really want to lash out but she managed to stop herself from doing so. 

“As for Bastila been free that is surely a joke, he has either captured her and forced her to co-operate with him or worse he has corrupted her, Juhani and those who went with him” Vrook decided with a nod of his head. “If she has fallen then we may have doomed ourselves when we allowed Revan to live, we should have killed him instead of attempting to reprogram him” he spat.

“We do not kill defenceless prisoners Vrook, that you and Atris would speaks volumes here about who has fallen, who has betrayed who and who has betrayed the principles of the Jedi” Vima responded coldly. 

“Take her to the cells I will discuss what will be done with you and Zhar with the Council when we meet later today, enjoy your new accommodations Vima” Atris ordered with a wide smile. 

Finally she had the proof she needed to prove not only was Revan still alive and thus a threat to the Jedi and the Republic, she could also prove Vima and Zhar had known this fact and refused to inform the rest of the Council. This would remove two people she had long held some mistrust about; in her mind they were too soft when dealing with the enemy. She had long suspected Vima had never been comfortable with the idea of wiping Revan’s mind, that Zhar to had begun to regret the reaction. Hell she thought that of a few of the other Council members as well, that they were weak and regretted such harsh methods. But to her it had been nessacary but still it was clearly a bad idea, Revan had somehow survived the combined might of the Council and was now free to do whatever he wished and in his grasp was Bastila Shan. Shan to her was over confident and somewhat arrogant with a clear overrated opinion of herself, in her mind the only thing that made Shan worth anything was her ability with battle meditation. 

“You have no authority to have me arrested Atris nor Zhar for that matter, only Zirrik can order a Council member to be arrested” Vima pointed out even as the Jedi who had come with Atris and Vrook moved to comply. “You dare talk to me of treason when you are usurping Zirrik’s power as Grand Master” she spat. 

“Zirrik is too old to be an effective leader anymore and should have already stepped down so a new steadier leader could replace him” Atris replied even as the Jedi exchanged unsure looks behind hers and Vrook’s back. 

“This step is unfortunate Vima but nessacary, with Revan still alive and in possession of Bastila Shan we need a leader who will not stumble or hesitate to act” Vrook stated. “You and Zhar and Zirrik weaken us and we cannot afford to be weak now, we need strength” he added. 

Vima shook her head because whilst Atris and Vrook talked as if what they were doing was for the good of the Jedi as a whole as well the Republic, she knew better they just wanted the power to finally act as they saw fit. It was a coup anyway you looked at it and sadly Zirrik would not have the power or even his health to stop them, one thing Atris had right was that Zirrik was old. She wondered if anyone on the Council would stand up against this breech of authority, Vrook gestured and the three Jedi moved and quickly surrounded her. She knew she could fight and try and escape but sadly there was nowhere to escape to, but she had a feeling this action would come back to bite them all in the end. She felt a rumbling in the force; she had felt that rumble once before just before Revan had marched off to war the first time. 

“This is a coup Atris anyway you look at it and one day you will pay for betraying your oath, and so will you Vrook” she stated before she allowed herself to be led away to the cells in the lower levels of the temple. 

Atris ignored the statement fully confident in her actions were the best thing for the Jedi Order; Vrook however reflected that Vima may have a point. What he and Atris were doing was in a sense a betrayal of their oaths as Jedi and especially as Council members, no matter that it had to be done before Zirrik’s weak rule allowed Revan to strike them at the worst possible time. Malak and his forces were bad enough a problem, but allowing Revan to regain any kind of power to hurt them was just asking for far more than they could deal with. He had to be hunted down and finally ended, Bastila Shan had to be retrieved as her battle meditation was one of the only reasons they were still in this war and thus they could not afford to lose her. They were doing what they had to so that the Jedi Order and the Republic would survive; this was the only way he told himself. 

“Come Vrook we must prepare for our confrontation with Zirrik and the rest of the Council to explain this and finally ensure Zirrik steps down, we need strong leadership for what is to come” Atris said breaking into his thoughts.  
Vrook nodded and followed Atris to his her office so they could discuss how to confront the Council about Revan been alive and the fact that Vima and Zhar had known and kept that fact from them, that they were traitors for doing so. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Bastila stood uneasily on the bridge of the Starship watching as Meetra Surik went about her duties, a part of her could not help but curse Revan for putting the two of them together. Ever since she had stepped off the Ebon Hawk onto the Revenge she had sensed a tremor in the force whenever she had looked Surik’s way, now that tremor was getting stronger and she supposed a confrontation was coming between them. Of course she knew what that confrontation was going to be about, how it could not be about Revan when both she and Surik had deep feelings for the man. Perhaps this was Revan’s suitable way of trying to get the two of them to talk and get the confrontation out of the way. 

“I think we need to talk Shan” Meetra said as she finally walked over to where Bastila stood having so far ignored her presence but she knew she could not keep doing that, they needed to clear the air between them if they had any chance of working together. 

“I suppose we do at that Surik, or we are not going to get along very well to say nothing of working together as things progress” Bastila agreed with a nod of her head. 

“Major Hunt you are in command until I return or Rikka returns to the bridge” Meetra ordered turning to the Major who stood off to the side watching over one of the ship systems consoles. 

“Yes General I understand” Major Hunt nodded and quickly snapped of a salute which Meetra returned before she turned and indicated for Bastila to follow her. 

Bastila followed Meetra from the bridge down several decks to an empty gym room, clearly only used by the officers at certain times when free of their duties. She watched as Meetra unhooked her lightsaber and put it down on a workbench and then turned to look at her, knowing exactly what she wanted she unhooked her own weapon and put it down on the bench as well. 

“What now?” Bastila asked as she moved away from the bench.

“Now we talk Shan, I’ve heard much of you since I returned to the fleet and not much of it was good” Meetra replied. 

“They say you are directly responsible for Malak getting his shot at killing Revan, that you were the one that captured him and brought to the Council so they could try and destroy his mind and soul” she growled clearly holding a grudge about her past actions. 

“I didn’t know they were going to do that I swear I didn’t” Bastila instantly argued again feeling the same sick feeling she had felt when Revan had first revealed what the Council had tried to do to him. “When Revan told me I felt such a feeling of betrayal, I felt sick that the Council would try and do something like against strictly against the code and all other humane actions” she stated her eyes turning cold and hard. “I wanted to argue with him, to dismiss what he had told me but I couldn’t, due to the force bond we share I knew he was telling the truth and it broke any trust I had in the code or the Council” she admitted. 

Meetra could tell by the look on Shan’s face that she was telling the truth, that hearing what the Council had tried to do to Revan had shattered her faith in them and that in her opinion was a good thing. Had she still believed in them it would have made any hope of working with her or her joining them difficult to accept, difficult to trust. Still that did not mean this conversation was done by any means, no they had quite a bit to discuss. 

“You had a force bond with Revan from the moment you healed him on the bridge according to the reports our spies lifted from the Dantoonie academy computers, so why didn’t you feel what the council tried to do to him shouldn’t you have felt his pain when they attempted to mind wipe him?” she inquired. 

Bastila frowned at the question because it was a good point, healing Revan on his crumbling flagship was the exact moment the force bond between them was created so that meant she should have felt it the minute the Council tried to destroy Revan’s mind so why hadn’t she?

“The only thing I can speculate was the bond was either too new for me to realise what I was feeling or two the Council blocked the bond when they attempted to destroy his mind” she finally speculated and knew it was probably not the answer Surik had wanted. “If they probed his mind first they may have sensed the bond and blocked so as not to alert me to what they were attempting, they used the full Council for the attempt and I do not doubt they would be powerful enough to block it” she added. 

On that Meetra had to agree, if the full Council had been a part of trying to erase Revan’s mind then blocking the bond if they had sensed it and they probably had would have been a simple affair. 

“Fine clearly your powers would be no match for the combined might of the Council, so we can’t hold you responsible for no sensing what was happening” she finally admitted with a sigh. “But you still gave Malak his chance at killing him” she pointed out. 

“As I was ordered to do, and at the time I thought I was helping to remove a clear danger to the Republic” Bastila countered. “I didn’t know what Malak was planning, not even Revan did but at the moment he did sense it he saved my life but force pushing me out of the way of the explosion” she explained. “He didn’t have to do it, he could have saved himself but he didn’t and now I know the reason and it wasn’t just because of who I was and what ability I processed” she continued heatedly. “Malak just took advantage of the situation, it was not my intent to give that monster his chance” she growled. “And now that he has control of a large part of your former allies he is rampaging around the Republic razing whole planets to cinder” she spat feeling a spike of anger as she recalled the destruction of Taris. “It would have been better had we been sent to remove Malak instead of Revan, the Council did to not perceive him more of a threat than Revan” she snarled. 

“Their mistake” Meetra snapped back her own anger at what Malak and his followers were doing overtaking her for a minute. “But then the Council has always been short sighted, they can vengeful too like they were when they stripped me of my very name as if trying to shame me for what I knew were the right choices” she vented. 

“Or like them sending the last of the Qel-Droma family to Korriban of all places to die alongside only two other Jedi”   
Bastila countered having no allusions now about the fallibility of the Council she had once served so loyally.  
This statement caught Meetra by surprise as it was news to her then realisation hit that Revan must have told her about this. “What were they on Korriban for?” she inquired interested. 

“They were there to finish off what the suspected to be the last of the Terentatek as part of the great hunt, they had no support and no hope of succeeding but they were sent anyway and they all died there” Bastila answered seeing the interested look in her eye. “According to Revan he found their bodies and took them off world for burial, he also said Qel-Droma fell in love with Nurr the female Jedi sent whilst Saresh the other Jedi abandoned them due to them falling in love and died alone taking on a Terentatek alone” she explained feeling again the sense of waste the story had stirred in her the first time she had heard it. 

“Ignorant fools” Meetra spat with a shake of her head still the story came as no surprise to her nor Revan taking their bodies somewhere else to be buried properly. Korriban was no place for anyone to die unless of course you were Sith or just plain evil like Malak and his followers, Still the story had brought up the main subject they needed to discuss. 

“Before I left this fleet to return to the Council I was in love with Revan and he with me, we were a couple by any standard you know no matter what the Council may have said about the fact had they known” she told Shan. “When I left we did not break our partnership, and the fact is I still love him very much and I refuse to simple allow you to take him just because you share a force bond with him Shan, as for his feelings for me well I will have to talk to him about that as I am sure you will if there is anything between you” she added making Bastila frown not liking the idea of a challaenge for Revan’s heart. 

That thought made her blink once as she realised she really had admitted deep in her heart she had fallen for Revan, the kiss they had shared on Tatoonie was still fresh in her mind and she felt the ghost of that kiss on her lips. The fact that Surik had been in a relationship with Revan during the war and still had deep feelings for her made her uneasy, she didn’t like this twist. Following her heart and her emotions was new to her, this new twist showed forging a relationship with Revan was not going to be as simple as she had expected. Still she was not going to back down, no matter that Surik clearly had an advantage over her due to her previous relationship with Revan. Stepping forward she met Surik’s hard gaze, for long seconds they stared into one another’s eyes. 

“I won’t be intimated into stepping away, I love Revan and he has admitted he has feelings for me as well that he desires me” she finally admitted. “I suppose we will both have to talk to Revan when he returns, for now I suggest we respect one another as equals and allow Revan to choose who he wishes to be with and focus instead on doing as he asked” she suggested. 

“Agreed arguing more gets us nowhere and now we both know where we stand in regards to Revan and it is up to him who he chooses if he chooses at all” Meetra finally responded. 

“Meaning what?” Bastila inquired in confusion. 

Meetra only smiled in response to her question and then turned and began to head back to the bridge. “There are always other alternatives Bastila, things are never as simple as others believe but we will discuss that another time now come back to the bridge so you can learn how this fleet works as Revan ordered. She told her now very confused rival for Revan’s heart. 

Bastila frowned even more confused by Surik’s statement but followed anyway, all the while she wondered how things would turn out when Revan returned. 

+TR+

(Nar Shaddaa)

Revan led his small group of the ramp of the Ebon Hawk onto another planet he did not practically like, as he had told Bastila and the other females it was one of the strong worlds of the Hutts and a huge part of their slaving operations. Had there not been a ton of other people from a hundred different worlds then he would have bombarded this planet to rubble to remove the stain of darkness from the galaxy, sadly even on Nar Shaddaa there was such a thing as innocent people who had no connections to the Hutts or their dirty dealings. 

“Okay Niks we are clear, taken the Ebon Hawk back in orbit and wait for our signal to return to pick us up” Revan ordered into his comm. “I am not taking any chances of the ship been hijacked by scum” he added. 

“Roger that General, watch your backs down there” Niks answered through the comm and then they wanted as the ramp closed and then the ship lifted up before shooting off towards orbit as ordered. 

“Ok Canderous let’s find your contacts and get moving, this place has far too many eyes watching and the longer we stay the more trouble we’ll find” Revan said turning to the Mandalorian who nodded. 

“Follow me” was all Canderous said in response as he hefted his large pulse cannon and headed into the mass of chaos that was Nar Shaddaa.

“This place gives me the creeps” Zaalbar growled keeping a tight hold of his bow caster just in case they needed it.

“Not surprising giving the amount of trash you will find along with slavers, bounty hunters of all kinds especially the worst kind like Calo Nord” Canderous told him. “I stayed here for a year before heading to Taris and I hated it, there is very little trust here” he stated. 

“Keep your eyes peeled for trouble and anyone who maybe following us” Zayne suggested as he looked around them as they walked. 

They moved quickly through the mass of people towards a grouping of bunkers on the outskirts of the city if it could be called that, Canderous paused as he came to the far end bunker before banging on the shutter and then stepping away. Jolee and Zayne took up positions so they could keep an eye out for anyone following them whilst Zaalbar and Revan moved to either side of the door to the bunker. HK and T3 moved to the side of each of them out of the way, and then they all waited. A few minutes went by but the door stayed shut, Canderous was about to bang on it again when noise from above caught their attention and looking up found a slim redhead standing on the roof of the bunker pointing a blaster cannon at them. 

“Canderous Ordo of the clan Ordo, it’s been a long time” the redhead mused as she took note of who was at her door. “I thought you said you’d never return to Nar Shaddaa” she pointed out. 

“Yeah well things change Mira, we need you help and if you are interested there is a steady job offer after we are done” Canderous replied as the others watched.   
“And what can I assist the great Canderous Ordo with?” Mira inquired finally allowing the blaster cannon to lower somewhat. 

“We need to get into the Sith relay bunker to rescue some people they have captured, standard fare for the job and like I said afterwards the offer of joining us for the long haul” Canderous answered. “I will soon be in the possession of Mandalore’s mask Mira, I will be calling the clans back together” he admitted. “We can save our people, our culture if you are willing to help” he told her. 

“She’s one of you?” Zayne inquired in surprise gaining Mira’s attention. “She doesn’t look like a Mandalorian” he said as they looked at him. 

Mira smirked rather twistedly at the young force user which sent a shiver up Zayne’s spine. “I was taken as a slave by the Mandalorians during the war but I managed to gain the attention of one an Ordo for my repeated escape attempts, he thought I showed promise and thus I earned my way onto a Mandalorian squad and taught their way of war and how to survive and soon I was excepted as a part of the clan” she explained. “However that all came to an end at the battle of Malachor when we were crushed and scattered, the clans were broken by Revan and I came here and became a bounty hunter” she added before turning her attention back to Canderous. “Revan took the Mask Canderous and hid it, what makes you think you can find it?” she asked.

“He can’t except through my help” Revan said as he stepped forward with a smirk. 

“And who are you?” Mira inquired looking him over and taking note of the lightsabers hanging on his belt. 

“I am Revan and yes I am very much still alive as are some of my people, not all of them turned when Malak betrayed me and thus we need allies to finish our mission and so I made a deal with Canderous” Revan informed her. “I give him the mask and a chance to save his scattered people along with your home world and the planets around it, in return he recalls the clans and join us and help us finish this” he stated. 

Mira stared at the man in shock as he introduced himself as Revan, the man who had turned the war against the Mandalorians and in the end defeated them even going as far as to kill Mandalore and his entire bodyguard. Her first instinct was to raise the blaster and kill him for destroying her second family including the man who had first noticed her and raised her from a slave to a member of the clan, but she quickly pushed that instinct aside as she noted the bronze plated droid which had its own blaster pointed at her clearly ready to fire if she proved hostile. 

“If you are Revan then why do you want to rescue the Jedi who were captured by the Sith within the relay?” Mira asked confused. 

“Because unlike what most think my people and I are not Sith, we were just pretending to be Sith to fool another threat that the Republic doesn’t even known it exists” Revan answered. “We came back knowing the Republic is too weak to fight this new threat, to corrupt and stagnate and thus we decided to take control and rebuild it stronger than ever before” he told her. 

“You should also know this threat Mira is the reason Mandalore the Ultimate even thought to go to war with the Republic, it wasn’t even his idea” Canderous added as she thought over what Revan had said. 

“Fine I’m in, I’ll help you rescue the Jedi and I will help you rebuild our people Canderous” Mira finally agreed jumping down from the bunker. “But once we get the Jedi and are off planet you explain everything, what this other threat it and how it ties in to the Mandalorians going to war in the first place” she stated to which Revan nodded in agreement. 

“So where is the relay?” Jolee asked as Mira opened up he bunker and led them inside. 

“In the middle of the main market area, best place for it as well good cover” Mira answered as she began collected an assortment of things and placing them inside a large pack. “It is not going to be easy getting inside though, the door is thick titanium” she warned.

“T3 can hack the door no problem, as for those inside it is possible they are still my people and if so there will be no need for a fight” Revan told her confidently as she finished packing and then grabbed her blasted cannon once she shouldered the pack. “If not we kill all inside and get the Jedi and then we leave, simple as that” he added.   
“Nothing is simple of this planet” Mira stated coldly as she led them out of the bunker.

None of them noted the shadowed figure of a Wookiee watching them from the upper ring, once he was certain he would not be seen Hanharr dropped to ground and quickly followed intent on finally killing the redheaded witch who had once nearly killed him but instead of ending his life she had spared him and thus caused to owe her a life debt, a debt he hated to owe to any human as he hated their entire race and thus he intended to kill her and finally wipe the debt clean no matter if that was against Wookiee law.

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Zirrik looked up tiredly as Atris and Vrook marched into the Council room along with several other Jedi, he slowly stood up along with Vash and the rest of the Council all the while wondering what was going on. 

“What is going on?” Lonna Vash demanded to know stepping closer to Zirrik’s side having a very bad feeling about all this. 

“What is going on Vash is that we have been betrayed by two of our own, Revan is indeed still alive and the worse of it is Vima and Zhar knew about this fact and refused to inform us” Atris spat in response. “I have had them arrested and locked in the cells” she added. 

“You overstep yourself Atris, only I have the power to order a Council member arrested” Zirrik protested weakly knowing he did not have the strength to counter her. 

“Sadly this is nessacary Zirrik, Vrook and I are assuming control of this Council” Atris told him shocking the rest of the room. “You are weak and too ill to lead us any longer, we need strong leadership to hunt Revan down and finally end him” she growled. 

“And we need to recover Bastila Shan before he corrupts her and takes away our best weapon against the Sith” Vrook added as her Vash pulled her lightsaber and moved to block them. 

“This is treason and I will not let it stand” Lonna spat activating her blade and taking up a defensive position. 

“No Vash we are doing what we have to so we can save the Order, we do not take this action lightly but with Revan alive and in possession of Bastila we need to act decisively and Zirrik no longer has the strength or the will to do so and clearly you like Vima and Zhar are weak for the actions we will need to take to stop Revan” Atris countered.  
Vash moved to argue back only for Zez-Kai-El and Kavar to come up behind and grab her hands forcing her to drop her lightsaber and restraining her, she looked at them in shock. 

“You can’t do this” she insisted. 

“If Revan is indeed still alive then they are right we need to act quickly and decisively to stop himself before he can bring anymore destruction down on us” Kavar stated regretfully. “We all know Zirrik should have stepped down long ago, but he has not and look at where we are now” he added. 

“Take her to the cells” Vrook ordered saddened to see another of their brethren chose the wrong path. “And take Zirrik to sickbay where he is now confined to his” he added to the other Jedi who had come in with them. 

“Vandar do something” Lonna shouted even as was she was passed over to two of the other Jedi by Kavar and Ell but   
Vandar remained where he was looking conflicted and unsure. 

Zirrik did not bother to protest and allowed himself to be escorted out of the Council chamber, this was a dark day for the Jedi Order and he feared where it may lead them all. Atris moved to the Grand Master’s seat and sat down whilst the remaining Council members took their own seats knowing a lot of things now had to be discussed and decided.   
Down below in the cells Vima, Zhar and Jade looked up as their cell door was opened and Lonna Vash was pushed inside before it was locked again. 

“What happened Lonna, pleased tell me Atris did not seize control of the Council?” Vima asked standing up in alarm. 

“I wish I could Vima but that is indeed what Atris has done with Vrook’s support and Kavar and Zez and even Vandar seem to support her” Lonna answered rubbing her forehead feeling a headache forming what the mess of tangled thoughts going through her head at what had just transpired. “Is it true Revan is alive and you hid that fact from the Council?” she asked. 

“Yes it is true, but he is not our enemy like we thought I have talked to him and to Bastia and they both indicated there was something else going on something deeper behind everything that has happened since the Mandalorian War ended” Vima answered. “Atris and Vrook have been consumed by hatred, anger and paranoia and cannot be allowed to rule the Order” she added. 

“Well right now there is nothing we can do to stop her” Lonna pointed out with a shake of her head. “And how do you know anything Revan or Bastila told you was the truth?” she inquired. “How did it come to this?” she asked before sliding to the floor still shocked by the events that had just taken place. 

“I do not know Lonna but we must somehow strive to get out of here before the entire Order is infected by Atris and Vrook’s madness” Vima answered. 

“What happened to Zirrik?” Zhar inquired as he too sat down. 

“Last thing I heard before been dragged out was Vrook ordering the ones who came with this to take him to sickbay where he is to be confined” Lonna answered. 

“Oh this is so very bad” Jade muttered but she still did not regret allowing Master Vima to use the communications system so as to get help for Ana, that the help was to come from a very much alive Revan still hadn’t fully sunk into her mind and thus she did not comment on this fact as silence descended on the cell.


	7. chapter 7

Authors Notes: I sorry for the late update but sadly I’ve had to deal with a lot of issues mostly health wise, but I am still committed to finishing this story, so please enjoy this new chapter. 

 

+TR+

(Leviathan)

Malak stood in his quarters staring at the burning world of Illum as his forces rampaged across it but even though his stare was fixed on the planet below his mind was elsewhere, it was fixed on where Revan and his small crew of followers including Bastila Shan was now. So far there had been no word from any of his spies or Sith Shadow teams on where they were, the last sighting of them had been on Tatoonie. According to reports one of the teams sent to keep watch on the Star Map on that world had vanished more than likely killed by Revan and his team not that it was a great loss, but it was gaoling to say the least. Also Revan and his team had worked out so kind of peace treaty between the city of Anchorhead and the local Sand People tribe which honestly baffled him. Why if Revan was still himself and he was now very convinced he was after the wave of hatred and anger he had felt in the force days ago would he bother to waste time doing such things as making peace treaties unless the attempts by the council had at the least altered some of Revan’s personality traits. Perhaps whilst they had failed to wipe his mind and make him once more a loyal servant they had dulled his fighting edge, which if it was true would be an advantage. The lack of any real intel on Revan’s whereabouts irked him, and although he would never admit it to anyone made him uneasy because Revan was a master at attacking from the shadows and the long he remained unseen the bigger the attack he could plan. 

The doors to his quarters opened as Admiral Karath arrived finally to give him an update on the battle which he had asked for half an hour ago, the man looked merely nervous at giving his report late which must mean the planet had finally submitted. 

“My lord I am pleased to report General Craydon and his troops have finally subjugated the planet of Illum, it now belongs to your Empire” Karath reported. 

“Excellent news Admiral but the General took over eight and a half hours to do what I ordered done in seven, when he returns to the ship send him to me as I wish to know why it took an hour and half more than I gave him”   
Malak ordered harshly. 

“Yes my Lord” Karath replied glad it was Craydon in trouble and not him as if was now a good chance that the good General would soon be dead as people who either proved un useable or failed in their tasks in anyway were quickly disposed of. 

“I want more shadow teams and spies dispatched to track down Revan and his little team of allies, the first to find them will be promoted and rewarded well” Malak commanded. “I want Bastila Shan in my possession with the next week Admiral, am I understood?” he asked with a menacing tone. 

“Yes my Lord however we have no idea where Revan and his team went after leaving Tatoonie” Karath pointed out.   
“Considering the path he is treading it should be obvious he is either headed to Korriban or Manaan” Malak shot back with what should have been an obvious observation. 

“Then I will dispatch more teams to those planets with orders to keep an eye open for them to arrive and to capture Shan at all costs” Karath responded tugging a little at his collar hoping this insistence that Shan be captured would not lead to his own death when it failed because it was quite clear Revan was intent on keeping the girl safe. 

“Good now begin preparations to return to the Star Forge we need to resupply and plan for our next strike, but ensure to leave a decent sized presence to keep Illum in our hands Admiral it is a stepping swords towards the core worlds” Malak ordered with a reminder of the planet’s importance to the war. 

“Yes my Lord” Karath responded with a quick bow before he retreated from the room hoping that whatever came next did not end with his death as he wished to savour the fruits of his work after all he had done in service first to the Republic and now to the Sith. 

Malak chuckled easily reading the emotions Karath was experiencing after their talk; the Admiral had always been easy to read. He had been a loyal solider of the Republic during the Mandalorian War but his ego and secret lust for a rich future had seen him join the Sith especially as the two men who helped win the war led them, it was the offer of great reward that had convinced the man to turn on Revan as well as a great amount of fear along with it. Right now though the only thing Karath was interested in was surviving to enjoy any rewards he had gotten or would get in the future, he was concerned that he might end up dead if his order to capture Shan within a week was not carried out. But thankfully for him Karath was his best Admiral and overseer of his fleet, thus was relatively safe although he would never know this fact. Fear was a great motivator as far as he was concerned, although Revan had always preferred loyalty much to his disgust. Once more viewing the burning planet that was now his he wondered what Revan thought of his new strategy where the war was concerned, chuckling he knew his former friend would disapprove but what Revan thought was no longer a concern. 

+TR+

(Nar Shaddaa)

Revan shouted a warning even as he pulled his lightsabers from his belt having sensed something was wrong not only from a slight warning in the force, but also noticing the once bustling street they were on was drying up which was very unusual for Nar Shaddaa. The others reacted at once even as a bunch of mercenaries and bounty hunters suddenly surrounded them, glaring at them he noted they were all vastly over confident and clearly did not know who they were. He waited only seconds before charging with Zayne, Jolee and Zaalbar quickly following suit, they smashed into the surprised mercenaries and hunters who were either forced back or killed outright as he slashed his lightsabers in both directions. HK, T3, Canderous and Mira quickly began blasting the group on the other side of them even as they began to react to the sudden attack by their supposed surprised prey. The mercenaries and bounty hunters quickly rallied and began to fight back overcoming their surprise at the swiftness of the attack, they had easily believed their show of force would intimidate the Jedi and their friends to surrender but clearly they had been very wrong. 

Revan rolled under the sword of an oncoming mercenary and quickly came back and swiped his lightsabers through his exposed chest, the man had time to scream before he died but Revan paid his last moments little head as he shut off one of his weapons and put it back on his belt, and then unleashed a force push that sent three bounty hunters trying to shoot him and Zaalbar several feet away. Using the force he jumped forward and impaled one of the hunters before he could even attempt to get back to his feet, Zaalbar quickly put another down taking of his head with his own blade. Jolee used the force to jump over another hunter who tried to take out his legs before sweeping his own lightsaber down across his back; he was then forced to defend himself from a dozen blaster bolts from another hunter before a well-placed deflection sent his own blaster bolt back into his head. Canderous and Mira stood side by side as they shot mercenary and bounty hunter alike in cold calculated fashion homed by years of war, HK eagerly cut down the oncoming enemies with his own blaster even as T3 used its own weaponry to watch his fellow droids flanks. Zayne spun wildly to avoid been stabbed in the back he thrust his hand out and sent his attacker stumbling backwards allowing him to cut his head off with a quick swipe of his lightsaber before turning and noting the quickly thinning ranks of enemies and moved to ensure this fight ended quickly. Revan grew annoyed as he deflected multiple blaster bolts and raised his hands and unleashed a blast of force lightning frying the five left over mercenaries in quick succession, even as Zayne and Jolee cut down nearly all of the bounty hunters whilst Zaalbar managed to subdue another choking him into unconsciousness. Canderous shrugged off the bolt that struck his shoulder and quickly put three bolts through the hunter who had managed to shoot him, Mira used her blaster pistols to cut down two of the last mercenaries on their side of the fight whilst HK decided to wade into the last bounty hunters and using his superior strength to snap their necks with lethal precision. Finally the last hunter tried to turn and flee only for T3 to shoot him in the back before he got out of range, silence descended over the area as they regrouped and put their weapons away although they kept their guard up. 

Revan quickly headed to the one mercenary who Zaalbar had managed to choke out and set about waking him up, he wanted to know who had arranged this little ambush. Malak, the Hutts or was there another enemy stalking them. The man finally groaned and blinked sluggishly as he came too only for his eyes to open wide as he took note of his situation, Revan smirked coldly at him.   
“Good you are awake, now who paid you to stage this ambush and do not try and deceive me or I will hurt you” Revan commanded in as menacing a tone as he could manage. “Or perhaps I willow allow my friend HK to hurt you and he really enjoys doing things like that” he added with a smile that chilled the mercenary.   
“Excited statement: please allow me to get the information you require Master?” HK requested his eyes glowing dark yellow as he stared at the mercenary who quelled in fear at the sight of the insane sounding droid.   
“It was Lobo the Hutt, he is paying huge amounts of credits for a party of Jedi to sell to Malak and his Empire for even more credits that he paid for them” the mercenary admitted wanting to live or if he had to die he wanted it to be over quickly and not at the hands of a crazed droid who really looked like it would make his end last years.  
“Inventive for a Hutt” Jolee spat with distaste. “He hires a bunch of expendable mercenaries and bounty hunters to capture us, but then sells us for double the price he paid for us to be captured in the first place hence making a hefty profit” he mused.

“Typical kind of thing for a Hutt to do really” Mira stated with a shake of her head. 

“So what do we do with him?” Zayne inquired not exactly feeling merciful right now due to the fact he had been a part of a plan to attack them for the Hutts and one of them had already tried to make a slave out of Jarael. 

“We could send him back as a warning to leave us alone” Canderous suggested not caring either way if the mercenary lived or died. “Or we could cut his head off and deliver it as the warning” he added.

“Statement: I agree with the Mandalorian meatbag’s second option” HK prompted to no one’s surprise. 

“Letting him live would be a mistake” Mira stated as the others looked at one another. “On Nar Shaddaa you are only live as long as you can show strength, this one will come back with double the number to try and ensure he still looks strong” she advised. 

Revan nodded in agreement and with a quick clench of his fist broke the man’s neck killing him quickly, looking around he noted the street was still empty and thus decided best to reach the relay station all the more quickly and thus told Mira to lead on whilst also telling HK to watch their rear. The group moved on but stayed on alert and with their hands on their weapons, HK and T3 brought up the rear constantly scanning for threats. 

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Vima stared out of the cell contemplating multiple escape options but sadly none of them would work, she knew just how well the temple was guarded. No for any escape to work there would have to be a major distraction going on, but she doubted Atris, Vrook of the rest of the Council would be distracted right now. They would focus on tracking down Revan and his crew and trying to recapture or worse kill him, she doubted they would succeed. The very fact that Revan had survived the combined might of the Council’s attempts to wipe his mind should show them he had the hand of the Force on him, he was almost far more powerful than any normal Jedi who they could send. And on the off chance they would send Vrook or Kavar to aid the team they send then more than likely they would end up dead, seeing them would only drive Revan’s thirst for revenge for what they had tried to do to him. 

“What do you think Atris will do?” Jade inquired into the silence that filled the void in the last hour. 

“She’ll either do one of two things Jade, first she could send a strike team to hunt down Revan and his crew on Nar Shaddaa which of course would be a bad idea as that would undo whatever leeway I have made when I reached out to him to save Ana and her team” Vima answered with a sigh. “Revan is angry and rightly so for what we tried to do to him, no matter that we tried to tell ourselves it was for the betterment of the galaxy at large” she continued turning to face the younger Jedi. “Any attack by our forces will be returned in kind and he may resume his war on the Republic once Malak is dead, the second option Atris has is to use the threat of killing us to try and bring Revan to heel” she added. 

“She can’t actually expect Revan would comply with that kind of threat, I mean if he is as angry with the Jedi as you say he is why would she think threatening us will do her any good?” Jade asked, sounding very confused. 

“Revan agreed to help me save Ana and he still considers Ana a friend at the least as he admitted during our talk the night before, that admission might make Atris think she use that friendship as leverage” Vima explained. 

“Plus Atris is not thinking clearly overcome with paranoia and hatred, Vrook is consumed with fear and the others I do not know what possessed them to support Atris’s coup but clearly they too have fallen into thinking unclearly” she told her.

“That is not a good thing for the Council to be so broken” Jade said horrified at the rather blunt view Vima had of her fellow Council members. 

“No it is not Jade, the Council has never been so broken in all of the Jedi’s history and never has It suffered a coup either” Zhar agreed with a troubled look in his eyes. 

“Atris will lead the Jedi to damnation if we do not find a way out of here and stop her” Lonna stated. 

“Any escape attempt would be futile right now Lonna without a major distraction within the temple itself” Vima argued. “But it is possible one might come and soon, when I was arrested I felt a rumble in the force one I’ve only felt once before and that was when Revan first marched for war and I believe it signalled something omniums is coming” she admitted. “This may turn out to be a grave error on Atris’s part, for now we can only watch and wait” she added. 

“Revan will never take a threat to his person or to one he has promised to protect lightly” Zhar pointed out. “If Atris sends out a strike team and Bastila is hurt or worse is captured by the Sith during the commotion he will   
come here to ensure Atris and the Council suffer for their stupidity” he pointed out darkly. “We all may end up playing for her mistake” he stated. 

“All the more reason to get out of here before anything truly bad happens” Lonna argued. 

“And how do you suppose we do that Lonna?” Vima asked facing her friend and fellow Council member. 

“There must be a few Jedi who will not follow Atris’s coup, surely they will try and aid us” Lonna suggested but didn’t sound as sure of this fact as she wished too. 

“Perhaps but I would not expect them to stick their necks out for us, for now Atris and her followers have the upper hand” Vima conceded.  
Silence again fell as the four prisoners sat and considered their options, but sadly for now all of them realised they were trapped but they all knew with the way events were going anything could happen and they had to be ready to act should that moment come. 

+TR+

(Nar Shaddaa)

Revan was thankful they reached the relay without any more problems and he was certain what had happened to the mercenaries and bounty hunters had already spread, hopefully the Hutt behind the attempted capture was too afraid to try again. If not a second attempt would ensure he paid said Hutt a visit and ended its miserable life, the relay station he noted was in complete lock down as Vima had told him. He wondered truly just who he would find inside, loyal members who had for whatever reason failed to fall back to the allotted meeting point or traitors who no longer wanted to work for Malak and was now in it for themselves. 

“T3 you’re up get this door open the rest of you keep your eyes open” he ordered as the small utility droid rolled forwards and patched into the control system through the use of its data probe extension and the others took up positions around the doors so as to keep all available walkways in view. 

“So what’s the plan when the T3 gets the door open Revan?” Canderous inquired as he looked around. 

“More than likely the minute T3 undoes the lock down whoever is inside will rush to the entrance corridor to meet us, we do not attack unless they do as I am hoping they are still loyal troops and more men and women willing to help us is welcome” Revan answered calmly. “If not if they open fire we kill them all and find Ana and her team and get off this fucking planet, before we leave however we’ll have T3 download the entire data archive of updates and reports they’ve monitored from both the Malak’s forces and the Republic and then have HK arm the self-destruct system so there is nothing left” he added. 

“What are the chances they are loyal kid?” Jolee asked frowning as he thought he saw a shadow of someone watching them on one of the nearby towers. 

“Fifty/fifty at best but worth a shot instead of going in blasters blazing” Revan replied easily. 

T3 quickly began whittling down the security protocols imbedded within the lockdown code, its superior hacking programming easily able to make light work of Sith’s complex code system and after already seeing some of their code work back on Taris this aided in his work. Minutes later the lockdown program shut down and T3 quickly set the doors to open, letting out a series of whistles to let his Master know he had succeeded in his task. 

“He did it and quickly too” Mira said in surprise having expected a longer wait but clearly the droid was far better at hacking systems than she had thought possible. 

“We stay near the entrance until we know for sure if they are loyal or hostile” Revan told them pulling one of his lightsabers from his belt but did not activate it just yet. “Stay ready just in case but do not show any real aggressive moves until they do” he cautioned. 

Within the base Major Kelly Shepard looked up in surprise as the alarm started blaring throughout the base alerting them to the fact someone had gotten past their lockdown, frowning she ordered her troops including her best friend Miranda Garrus to the entrance corridor to meet their intruders who it was more than likely was Malak’s troops wondering why they had gone dark. If so they would kill them all as there was no way they would ever serve Malak, they were loyal only to one person and that was Revan and even if he was dead they would keep to their oaths. Granted the latest intelligence reports they had managed to gather from both Malak’s spies and the Republic indicated there was a slim chance Revan was alive, she didn’t know if she completely believed it but at least there was a glimmer of hope. Everyone turned up except Rand and she frowned wondering where he was, his work of late had begun to grow sloppy and his attitude worried her but she had not been willing to lay into him as he had been as affected by the losses they had suffered especially Revan’s as the rest of them had. The minute they reached the entrance corridor they could all see a group of people standing waiting for them, they were all armed but she quickly noted the Jedi or Sith in their party had not activated their lightsabers and none of the others turned their weapons on them. 

“Stand down I order you” a voice shouted down to them and Kelly almost snorted at the utter gaul on the guy to think he had the authority to order them to do anything. 

“We answer to only one man and his name is Revan so go back to Malak and tell him this relay no longer answers to him” Kelly ordered back after sharing an amused smile with Miranda. 

A deep laugh echoed down the corridor much to her confusion especially as some of the others in this band of invaders joined in his laughter as well. “I suspect Malak would rather kill me than listen to me deliver your message, you see I am Revan and yes I am very much alive” the man finally responded as he began to walk down the corridor towards them with another of the shadows following which quickly formed into one that was very familiar to Kelly. It was HK-47, Revan’s personal assassin droid and bodyguard and loyal to only Revan but how in the world had the droid found Revan considering the reports indicated if he was alive he had been captured. 

“General is that really you?” Miranda asked standing up along from where she had been taking cover along with the others and Kelly quickly joined them. 

“It is, I survived Malak’s attempt on my life thanks to the Bastila Shan healing me and then getting me of my ship before he exploded and I then became a prisoner of the Jedi who attempted to destroy my mind but the force protected me and I then played their loyal servant until we reached Taris when everything changed” Revan explained. “I’ll give you the full story later, we have come for the Jedi you captured including a friend of mine who just happens to be the daughter of Vima Sunrider” he informed them. 

Kelly blinked in surprise having not even expected one of their prisoners to be the daughter of such a famous bloodline, but then question became why and how did Revan know of their capture of the Jedi party. 

“How could you know we had captured anyone?” she inquired rather recklessly and to the shock of her fellow soldiers. 

“Vima contacted me having felt my rage I the force when a Hutt attacked my crew on Tatoonie, by the I had already linked back up with those of my people who remained loyal to me commanded by Meetra Surik who strangely enough was find on the planet they were orbiting and Rikka who had held them all together until Meetra was located” Revan answered. “Whilst I hate what the council tried to do to me Vima was not fully willing but had no choice but to help, Atris it seems has gone insane and the only way Vima can stop her gaining control of the Jedi order is if she is still a member of the council” he explained. “Ana I still consider a friend and I bear no real grudge against Vima for putting the safety of the Jedi order before my own, there are hundreds of Jedi including younglings who will suffer if Atris ever gains control of the order” he went on. “Now where are they?” he asked. 

“This way General” Miranda said as Kelly noted the rest of the General’s party had moved down the corridor so she could look them over and her eyes suddenly widened as she took note one of them was a Mandalorian. 

“General with respect what the hell is a Mandalorian doing in your party?” she couldn’t help but demand to know. 

Revan sighed annoyed at the delay but he knew his people deserved an explanation. “Canderous is one of the reasons we made it off Taris before Malak bombed it in an attempt to kill me and my team, since then he has aided me in many things and just before I reached the fleet I made a deal with him I would gift him Mandalore’s mask in return for him calling the clans to aide us in our mission” he informed them all. “Our war against the Mandalorians was won, we beat them and now we have a new enemy and one far more personal to us all” he added. “More importantly our fallen brothers and sisters who died in Malak’s purge demand we gain vengeance for their deaths so I will ask you the same question Meetra asked the fleet, what is more important to you your anger at the Mandalorians or gaining the vengeance our fallen demand of us so they can rest in peace?” he asked.   
Kelly, Miranda and the rest of people considered the question deeply because it was not an easy question to answer. The Mandalorians had caused great harm to the Republic, and some of them had suffered horribly when they were briefly captured by them. That sort of hate did not ever fade, but what Malak and his followers had done went even deeper for them all. They had lost friends and in some cases family to the betrayal of those they had once trusted above all others, clearly the rest of the fleet had chosen vengeance over their hatred for the Mandalorians. She glanced at Miranda, who she knew had suffered as a prisoner during the battle for Taris near the beginning of their efforts against them but she saw no hesitation as she and others made their choice, taking a deep breath she decided in the end Malak and his betrayal mattered more than her hatred for a people they had already beaten. 

“Vengeance” she stated as did the others to which Revan nodded clearly not surprised by their choice. 

Revan was about to respond when he felt a dark shift in the force and he suddenly realised clearly someone was still with Ana and her team, they were in danger. “Show me where the Jedi are now, Ana is in danger” he commanded. 

“Shit Rand” Kelly spat as she spun and led them into the complex and towards the prison cells. 

They entered to find Atton Rand standing over a clearly wounded Ana Sunrider who was trying to weakly pry his fingers from her neck; Revan growled enraged one of his people would dare torture a prisoner in such a fashion. His hand shot out and he used the force to slam Rand into the wall with enough force to stun him, Ana turned weakly to see who had saved her only to open her eyes wide in shock at seeing Revan. The look of rage on his rage as he stalked towards Rand surprised her even more, but she knew she could not allow him to kill the man who even though he had nearly killed her had only been acting on his own sense of loss and rage. Weakly she pushed herself into a sitting position aided by a young member of Revan’s party who was clearly a Jedi and seemed very familiar. 

“No Revan please don’t kill him” she begged. “He is lost, lost in a sea of pain, anger and loss but he is not fallen” she insisted as another older Jedi moved over and began to treat her injuries. 

“He almost killed you Ana” Revan managed to say through the haze of rage he was still feeling. 

“Yes but not because he actually wanted too, nor did he want to kill Brandon and Larinn but he did because he is lost but I can save him I can bring him back but only if you do not kill him” Ana replied heatedly. “He can be redeemed, he is just trying to cope with his loss and his anger but it is pulling him into a deep dark hole but I can stop it I can save him” she repeated causing Revan to finally look at her and she noted the look of rage finally fade. 

“You are a lucky man Atton Rand far luckier than you deserve for what you’ve done and what you almost did” he spat as he dropped him to the floor leaving him gasping for air for a few minutes before he slowly pushed himself to his feet in shock at what he was seeing. 

“General you’re alive but I thought, well we all heard you were dead and it was like darkness swallowed me” Atton said wondering if his mind had finally snapped. “Pain, loss, rage became my world and everything seemed like a nightmare” admitted with a frown. “Felt like I was dreaming” he added. 

“You didn’t dream killing two people and almost a third Rand, their blood is on your hands and had you actually killed Ana I would end you here but you didn’t and she is insisting I spare you so she can help you and thus I am making you her bodyguard for this moment onwards” Revan shot back stepping closer to the man who snapped to attention. “Your sole concern is her safety, and if you slip so much as an inch and harm her or even attempt to you will die” he warned to which Atton nodded quickly knowing he was been extremely lucky at getting to live after what he had done. “Do you understand me Rand?” Revan asked glaring at him. 

“Yes sir I understand” Atton answered snapping a salute. “I’m sorry I lost it General, I will make it up to you and to her” he promised moving to where Ana lay been tended to.   
Revan just nodded and then moved back to where Kelly and the others still stood watching, clearly shocked at what they had allowed to happen under their noses. 

“I’m sorry General this is my fault I should have kept a closer eye on Rand when I noticed his attitude was off but I just thought it was due to his sense of loss at your reported death, I had no idea he had killed any of the prisoners I swear” Kelly insisted as he stopped in front of her. “I failed to keep a closer eye on things due to my own emotional upheaval” she admitted. 

“We all failed due to what we were feeing General, it is not just Kelly’s fault it is all of ours” Miranda insisted stepping up to her side. “We all failed to see what was happening to Rand and our prisoners, but we will make up for it we swear” she added. 

“Release the other Jedi and make sure they all ready to travel soon, having T3 escorted to your data core so he can download it and then prepare to arm the self-destruct as I intend to level this place once we leave” Revan ordered deciding not to lash out at the Major and her crew who were clearly loyal to her and willing to shoulder the burden of failure of duty. 

The group split up and got to work leaving Revan to move off to a corner to think over how he was going to explain this to Vima, she would be angered to hear one of his men had torture and almost killed her daughter and the loss of two of her team wouldn’t help matters either. Glaring at Rand who stood waiting awkwardly as Ana was patched up by Jolee whilst Zayne supported her, he supposed he should just be glad they had made it in time to save Ana. T3 had insisted it would take at least ten minutes to download the full archive, so he sat down in the corner and tried to meditate hoping it would help centre him.


	8. chapter 8

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)  
Atris sat in the seat reserved for the Grand Master of the Order as she watched Vandar, Vrook, Kavar and Zez-Kai-El discussed what they had done. Granted Vander had not agreed with what had happened, but he had refused to act to stop them or to hamper them believing their focus should be on the war thus he would work with whoever was in charge. Atris would accept this but she did not trust him as he did not support her removing Zirrik from his position like the others, she was shocked that Lonna Vash had refused to support her and had even tried to stop her. It was a sad state of affairs which showed how far the Jedi had sunk, that even its council members were making the wrong choices that they could not see that she and Vrook were trying to save the Republic and the Order from their own mistakes. One of its biggest been letting Revan live in any kind of form when they had him at their mercy, Zirrik’s weak leadership aided by those now in prison had made the Republic and worse the Jedi weak and vulnerable. Now she had to act and quickly to ensure they regained their strength and removed the threat of Revan before dealing with Malak and his ilk, but how to draw Revan out of whatever hole he had crawled into. It was important he was drawn to a planet they had the advantage, where they could set a trap which would capture Revan and whatever allies he had subverted from the crew who had left with him to find the star maps. Of course they had to also ensure they recovered Bastila Shan as her battle meditation was key to winning this war, hopefully she had not been too badly influenced by her time with Revan. If she had then they would have to do to her what they had done to Revan and wipe out that part of her memory, ensured she kept her abilities and powers but wiped out any memory of been near Revan. 

“We need to draw Revan out, wherever he has gone with Bastila and the others we must lure them to a place we can trap them and take them out and recover Shan” she finally stated. 

“What about the possibility that Revan still has followers out there aiding him?” Kavar inquired. 

“I don’t believe he has any, they all turned on him with Malak” Atris replied easily. “The dark side has corrupted them all, why would any of them be willing to stay loyal to Revan when Malak beat him” she mused. “The way of the Sith is for the strong to lead, for the apprentice to destroy the Master and Malak did that” she pointed out completely convinced of her point of view. “No I believe all he has to call on is the crew of the Ebon Hawk, and even if he did have some surviving loyalists I doubt it would be a large group due to them seeing Revan as weak for been bested by Malak” she finished. 

“I suppose you have a point, the dark side is pretty straight forward and as they all follow it they would indeed see Revan as weak for not been able to stop Malak seizing power” Kavar hesitantly responded not entirely convinced but seeing Atris’s point none the less. “Still what would we even use to draw Revan and his group out of hiding?” he asked. 

“Do we need to draw them out at all” Vrook cut in before anyone could respond. “He doesn’t know we are aware of his survival and Vima swore she would not inform us so from his point of view if we call on them we would still assume our attempt to rewrite his mind was successful and would act like it thus we can order them to the temple and take them here where we are strongest” he told them. 

“Come to Corusant Revan will not” Vandar argued with a shake of his head. “Foolish he is not, careful how we proceed we must be” he stated. 

“We have Vima and the others in our custody and from what we heard from the recording Revan still cares about Vima’s daughter and perhaps even Vima herself we should use her and the others as leverage to force Revan to surrender” Zez-Kai-El suggested calmly. 

“Considering what he said during their talk in the recording that may actually be a viable option” Vrook agreed rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “If and this is a big if I know Revan is not as lost in the dark side as we once presumed then it is possible if we threaten Vima and the others he will come to us either in an ill time rescue attempt or to surrender as Kai-El suggested” he mused. 

Atris frowned not liking that Vrook had suggested that Revan might not be consumed by the dark side but she could not fault either his or Kai-El’s suggestion, and if he  
brought Revan and his group out so they could capture them then she was willing to try it. 

“Very well when Revan contacts the temper to inform Vima of his retrieval of her daughter we shall give him an ultimatum to surrender himself and Bastila Shan or Vima and the others will be executed for treason” she stated causing looks of shock to appear on Vandar’s and Kavar’s faces. “Before you say it I do not mean to actually carry out such an act but if we make him believe we will he will come if Vrook and Kai’El’s theory pans out” she assured them although she would rather deal with Vima and the others permantly she knew right now she dared not until she had ultimate control of the council and the Jedi as a whole. 

Vandar watched her closely running a wary finger down his chin as he felt the tendrils of the dark side briefly before they vanished, he was beginning to get a very bad feeling about all this. He should have helped Vash stop Atris’s attempt to seize control of the council but he had faltered so surprised to see such an event happen, never before had such division split the Jedi. Before when they was conflict within the order it was usually caused by fallen Jedi who had become corrupted by the dark side such as the first and second great schism, but this was actually Jedi against Jedi with none of the dark side involvement just different interpretations of what was the right path to follow. Still the brief surge of the dark side he felt as Atris talked disturbed him, and he began to wonder what the real reason for Atris seizing power was. 

“Dangerous is this path careful we must be” he warned. “Revan not one to simple do as we order” he reminded them. 

“No he is not Vandar but I think with what he admitted to Vima we have the upper hand” Kai-El responded with a confident smile. “And we may have a secret ace to convince him in Ana Sunrider, if he successfully rescues her and her team when we make our demand she will demand Revan do as we ask to save her Mother” he pointed out with a wider smile. 

The others nodded in agreement having not thought about the presence of the younger Sunrider and her influence on Revan, she would not wish any harm to come to her Mother and thus would try and convince Revan to give into their demand that he surrender and if he truly still considered her a friend he would surely listen to her. Atris smiled and sat back in her seat confident that soon Revan would once more be in their hands, once he was she would ensure he would never be a threat to the Jedi or the Republic again and this time she would ensure he died. She was unaware of the way Vandar watched her uneasily as he again sensed the tendrils of the dark side around her at her dark thoughts, nor was she aware just how wrong she and the others were on how much help Revan had. 

+TR+

(Nar Shaddaa)  
Revan sat quietly meditating as the others went about what they needed to do before they left; his mind felt free of his body as he felt the force flow around him before frowning slightly as he felt a slight darkness strike out at him before fading. For once it had not come from Malak who he often felt surges of hate and rage from, no this had come from someone else but who? He wondered. Someone out there wanted him dead and it was not Malak, then he remembered what Vima had told him about Atris. Was it possible she had fallen and not even realised she had fallen? He asked himself before remembering Atris had always had a somewhat self-serving view of herself believing only she was pure of the light side even more so than her fellow Jedi. If she had fallen and this dark side pulse was from her then Vima was more correct than she had known, Atris was now as dangerous as Malak was and would have to be dealt with. Vima was also correct that someone like Atris could not be allowed to assume control of the Jedi Order, which would be a disaster. That Vrook was aiding her was no surprise, the old man had always been angry even when he had been a simple padawan. His tone and bearing always came of as supremely angry and condescending, he’d never liked Vrook and having to pretend to respect him during his supposed retraining had been hard. Clearly events were beginning to spiral out of control and it was all thanks to Malak and his thirst for power. 

“General we are ready to leave and your droid has the complete date core archive downloaded to his memory circuits, the self-destruct has been armed and is ready to be detonated when you command” Kelly reported snapping him out of his meditation not that he minded as he felt calmer and now knew what problems he may face in the future. 

“Good then get everyone ready to leave and have three of your team secure the exit, getting back to the ship I sense will be a little harder if that bounty Lobo the Hutt put on us is still active” Revan ordered as he stood up. “More mercenaries will certainly try and capture us” he assured her to which Kelly nodded and moved to carry out her orders. 

“General this is the most up to date information we have from Malak’s Empire” Miranda stated as she offered him a data pad, the Major thought you might wish to see it” she added. 

“Thank you Captain Garrus” Revan responded with a nod as he took the pad and began to scroll through its content even as the rest of the group began to prepare to leave.  
He could tell Ana and the rest of her team were still feeling weak from their detainment; Ana was still recovering from the assault from Rand but she was already pushing herself too her feet with help from one of her team whilst Rand himself stood not too far away watching and looking pretty shook up by what he had done as he should be. If he had not shown any remorse of effect of what he had done during his descent into darkness, he would have killed him as it would have proven he was too far gone to be saved. Once the group was ready they moved to the exit where the three soldiers waited for them, nodding they all left the outpost but as Revan was having Kelly seal the door a door shape left out of the shadows from above throwing two of the soldiers out of the way and crashed into Mira who spun with the attack.  
The figure quickly came back to its feet and let out a mighty roar even as they others spun to face the threat, Mira easily recognised who had attacked her and let out a curse that he had to choose now to strike. Hanharr was a Wookie she had clashed with more times than she could count, each time she had spared his life but that seemed to only make him hate her even more. She was certain the Wookie was now as insane as he could get, she didn’t even know why she kept sparing him as it had not done her any favours. 

“Don’t’ kill him this is between me and him” she shouted as she dropped her blaster and pulled a sword of her back and prepared to fight. 

“A mad claw” Zaalbar exclaimed in surprise recognising the feral expression in his fellow Wookie’s eyes, he had seen it before which had only added to his own pain at been labelled one by his evil Brother. 

“Form a circle around them” Revan commanded sensing this was indeed a battle between the two that need resolution and perhaps by finally dealing with her it Mira could find her full potential as he sensed she had an untapped power within her. “However keep your eyes open for any other threats” he added as they did as he instructed and formed a circle around the insane Wookie and Mira including the two soldiers who had been thrown aside by Hanharr as he attacked although one of them moved with a limp as he had crashed into one of the nearby buildings hard enough to almost break his leg. 

“Okay Hanharr you want to fight me again so be it but I swear this time I will end you” Mira spat relieved she would not have to worry about anyone catching her off guard with the others watching her back and she was somewhat relieved to know that even if she lost Hanharr would never leave here alive as she knew Canderous at the least would kill him should he be lucky enough to kill her. 

“Your death is long overdue woman” Hanharr growled as his flexed his clawed fingers. “Time after time you have humiliated me by first besting me and then spearing my life as if it was a game, no more I will have your skull as a trophy once I finally kill you” he snarled before leaping at her and swiping her claws at her but Mira easily rolled under his attack and came up slashing her sword upward at the Wookie’s exposed back but Hanharr’s personal shield deflected the blow. 

Hanharr spun back around and charged her forcing Mira to jump out of the way, she quickly turned and lept forward bringing her sword down in a wide arc that Hanharr just managed to get out of the way as he knew his personal shield could not hold up long. Energy shields ended up quickly drained of their power, thus he had to stay out of the range of the red haired woman’s sword. Letting out another roar he charged again but Mira easily side stepped him, she then rolled sideways thus escaping Hanharr’s view as he turned back to face her thus when he turned around once more he caught her sword straight into his chest. His energy shield barely deflected it this time and even as he slashed out with his claws he knew another hard blow would probably kill his shield, Mira hissed as she felt the Wookie’s claws rip through her skin but it was only a glancing blow. She had avoided the worst of it, spinning further out of the way she slashed out with her sword but Hanharr avoided the strike but she quickly followed it up with two more slashes both deflected by his shield but after the last strike she noted the way the shield died and knew it had been drained of power. Hanharr charged again but she spun away and then before he could react she spun back towards him swinging her sword straight at him, Hanharr saw the strike coming but could not shift his weight fast enough. He let a mighty roar as the sword ripped into his side; blood erupted out of the wound as he staggered backwards still howling. He tried to ignore the pain and charge again but Mira reacted faster than he could recover and she plunged the sword straight into his chest. He froze as he felt the blade carve through his skin and organs and his blood spurting out of the wound, he felt a strange numbness fill him before all his strength left him and he collapsed to his knees. He stared up at the red haired woman who had so humiliated him and prayed she would this time give him the honour of a swift death, Mira stared down at her defeated foe and hardening her resolved she swung the sword once more and removed the Wookie’s head from his shoulders in a fountain of blood as it fell. 

“You’ve improved girl” Canderous stated with an improving nod even as Mira put her sword away and moved to where her blaster was and reclaimed it. 

“You should not morn his loss” Zaalbar stated noting the red haired bounty hunter did not look happy with needing to kill him. “He was a mad claw, insane and a danger to everyone around him” he told her gaining her attention. “In killing him you have freed him from his pain and insanity and spared anyone else dying due to those same traits” he added. 

“Zaalbar is correct that Wookie was completely insane and worse he had the potential to tap into the force not that he seemed aware of that fact” Revan picked up the threat of the conversation. “That made him an even more dangerous problem, best he be taken care of before he could realise that fact and become even more dangerous” he concluded. 

“Let’s get out of here I’ve had enough of this damn planet” Mira spat as she pushed what she had done out of her mind and began to lead the group back towards the landing platforms. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Mission listened carefully as Rikka explained in detail the dangerous of mishandling a lightsaber, on the different styles of using them and just as important how to ensure you don’t accidently ignite on before you clear it from your belt. She was half tempted to say she was bored listening to the elder Twi-Lek talk but she had promised Revan to do everything Rikka said, or he would stop the lessons and she really wanted to learn how to use a lightsaber. Growing up she had always been fascinated by the Jedi and their weapons, she remembered meeting Zayne when she was very young back on Taris during the way, and she had so wanted to ask him to show her his lightsaber but had not dared due to the chaos going on at the time. Rikka watched the younger Twi’lek closely for any signs of her attention wondering whilst she was talking, thankfully whilst she could detect some boredom on the part of the young girl she was indeed paying attention and that was what was important. Learning to use a lightsaber was no easy task as she knew herself especially when one was not a force user which she and Mission were not, she needed to know the girl would listen about the finer points of using the weapon as Revan had taught her before allowing her to actually wield one. 

“Good you listened and that is important as these lessons progress Mission” Rikka stated at the end of her lecture. “I know a part of you found it boring I am pleased to see you did not let your attention wonder, these lectures are important and it is important you memorise what I tell you so that when we move onto actually letting you try and wield a lightsaber you will not take your own Lekku off” she told her. 

“Yeah I can see how that would be an issue, I’ll listen and I will remember what you tell me” Mission responded. “I swore to do as you said and I will keep to that but I will admit I did feel a little bored” she admitted with a sheepish shrug. 

“So did I when Revan was training me but the effort you are putting in is worth it” Rikka told her as she pulled her own lightsaber from her belt and activated it causing the blue glow of the blade to illuminate her features. “It took me a long time to master this weapon but I am now a master and easily able to use it even against skilled Jedi or Sith should  
I need to” she explained. “But been able to use a lightsaber does not mean you are invincible, you still need to know when to pull back should you meet someone who is better than you” she warned as she shut the lightsaber off and returned it to her belt. 

“So, what do we do now?” Mission inquired knowing the lesson was over.

“Now I begin to show you some of the lighter duties you will taking over for me as Revan suggested” Rikka answered with a smile whilst Mission simply shrugged as she knew at least this way she would keep busy and more than likely what she learned might prove useful in the future. 

Elsewhere on the ship Carth was sitting his quarters not only going over what he had learned from Revan, but also reviewing everything he had done since this new war had begun. He had found he did not like some of what he now saw, did not like that he had once again left his wife and child alone once more to rush of back into service leaving them to be slaughtered by Saul’s betrayal. And whilst he had told himself at the time he was doing it for duty and loyalty to the Republic, he now found he had also done it because he enjoyed life on board a ship far more than he did on a planet and that did not reflect well on him at all especially in light of what had happened to Telos and his family. He had let his personal wants get in the way of his duty to his family, he had let them down and got them killed and it was on his head. Letting out a deep sigh he wondered what would have happened had he stayed, could he have saved his wife and son? He just did not know. Of course it was also possible he might have been killed with them or killed helping them escape, either option he felt was better than his life now. Shifting his focus away from his past which was still too painful he turned his attention back to the present and everything that had happened since the Endar Spire had gone down over Taris. 

To think all that time he had been traveling with Darth Revan and not even guessed such an idea, the strangeness he had encountered such as the Jedi Council been willing to train him even though he was well over the age limit they usually set for new recruits should have told him something was off. The way Bastila had been very nervous and unsure around him until they reached Dantoonie the first time, and even then it was not until she came back from the Shadow Lands that she seemed to relax around the man which he supposed was when she learned he was still Revan despite what the Jedi Council had tried to do to him. He had wanted to hate the man but not only had Revan saved him on many occasions during their travels but he was also right it was Malak and Saul who was responsible for the destruction of Telos. Having come to know the man even if he had not known it was indeed Revan he just could not see him ordering the total destruction of a whole planet, having gone over the records of the way Revan had conducted the attack on the Republic he had noted Revan had indeed taken every planet with as little destruction and death as possible just as he had said. Since Malak had launched his coup and replaced Revan there had been nothing but death and destruction wherever he went, he did not seem to care how much damage he did in his quest for power. This more than anything seemed to back up Revan’s statement he was no Sith and nor were those still following him, that they only waged war to save the Republic from itself.  
Finally he wondered on what if anything he should do with the information he now had about the Sith Empire out in the unknown regions, the one that had been behind not only this war but the Mandalorian war before it. Was Revan correct that even if told more than likely nothing would be done especially by the Jedi, considering their actions during the Mandalorian war he could not argue this possibility but surely the Republic would act on the information. But then were they in any position to fight such an Empire? He asked himself considering how badly they were been mauled by Malak and his forces. It might take them years if not a decade to recover fully from the damage both wars had caused, would the Sith Empire give them that time if they realised how weak they were? He just did not know. Then there was Revan’s other view of what could happen should the Jedi and Republic be told of the existence of the Sith Empire, that they would try and parley some kind of peace which would then signify how weak they truly were and give the Sith the urge to declare war on them all the sooner. Was that an actuate view of what might happen? He asked himself and sadly he had to say yes, from what he knew of the True red skinned Sith from history files they despised the Republic and the Jedi and would do anything to destroy both. He recalled the image of the temple belonging to the Emperor of this Sith Empire and shivered as it had filled him with dread even though he had no connection to the force, he could literally feel the evil coming from the temple. He didn’t know what to do, he felt lost since learning who Jaks was but hoped soon something would happen to show him the way to precede. 

On the bridge Bastila listened as Meetra explained how the Revanchists conducted the fleet, it was a vastly different style to what she had learned during her time commanding the Endar Spire and its small fleet. And considering how large Revan’s fleet was it was impressive how easily things were run, the command structure was fixed but with enough planning to quickly adapt should a senior officer be lost or killed. Now she began to realise how Revan had been so adept at winning battles, and it was clear whilst lost to the dark side of the force Malak and his followers retained quite of bit of their military sense to continue to be dominant in the war. Surik cleary eased back into her role as part of the command structure she noted even though she had been absent from the fleet since the end of the Mandalorian war, she felt slightly inferior as she doubted she could ease so easily back into a roll she had walked away from so long ago. Still she did not show this nagging feeling, Bastila knew she had her own strengths just as Surik did and like her she had her weaknesses. 

She realised she was feeling slightly of balance since her frank discussion with Surik on the subject of Revan, she was still trying to understand her last cryptic comment before they had returned to the bridge. It had been playing on her mind since much to her annoyance, she had no experience with relationships due to her upbringing by the Jedi and she had even less experience listening and acting on her feelings. Surik had clearly meant something by it but what was currently beyond her understanding, pushing it aside she refocused on what Surik was explaining. Everything she learned her may one day save her life if a situation called upon her to use or command this fleet, she had already made her choice on where she stood and that was with Revan. Yes it meant going against the council but she no longer believed in them as she once did, and considering what Master Sunrider had said was going back on Corusant she was right to start making her own choices over their orders. Yes it also meant in a way going against the Republic she had sworn to defend, but as had been pointed out the Republic was dying a slow death to the corruption that plagued its senate and would surely destroy it if left to continue to rot. By joining Revan and his follows she would save the Republic from itself, she would help make it strong again. 

“So do you get all that Shan?” Meetra inquired turning to face her companion who she noted had been somewhat deep in thought. 

She was not exactly certain Revan was correct to put so much trust in this woman but she would not question him on his choice, it probably wouldn’t do any good anyway as Revan was renowned for doing as he wished even over good council. Still she did not doubt Bastila’s feelings for Revan that was part of the problem, what would Revan decide when he returned about who he was to take as a lover? She didn’t know and it was maddening and she cursed herself yet again for leaving the fleet when the Mandalorian war ended, she should have stayed. Then again her statement that Revan might not chose at all could be more valid that she thought, she had said it to unnerve Shan and it had but seen as in some cultures it was not illegal to have more than one wife or even legal to have a wife and a mistress than perhaps Revan keeping them both may happen.

“Yes I got it all thank you Surik” Bastila replied quickly pushing her thoughts aside and focusing on the other woman who stared back at her. “I have to say I am impressed by the military competence in this fleet which I am afraid to say beats the Republic in scope and skill” she admitted. 

“Revan, Malak, myself and the other senior commanders drilled this fleet every chance we had a spare moment from the war until it was second nature to everyone from the soldiers to the naval officers and crews and then to the Jedi and anyone else connected to us” Meetra informed her still quite proud of what they had achieved. 

Clearly Malak and those of the officers who had turned traitor with him still had some competence of they would not be so devastating the Republic right now, she had no clue what kind of shape the section of the fleet Master Kreia commanded was in as no one had seen or heard from them since just before Malak had betrayed Revan. From what Rikka had told her Kreia, Sion and Nihilus had created a base on Malachor, a dark and blighted asteroid the former remains of a planet bathed in the dark side. Who knows what been on that rock had done to them, it could have perhaps stripped all sense and rationality from them thus making them easier to kill should they prove just as much an enemy as Malak and his followers. But then again perhaps like Malak and his people Kreia and those with her also retained the military precision the rest of them had thus making them just as dangerous an enemy as Malak and his people. 

“Your work paid off” Bastila mused aloud. 

“Now that Revan is back in command more than likely he will start drilling the fleet once more before we announce our presence in this war” Meetra assumed. “If so you and your friends may learn to be just a much a part of this fleet as we are” she added. 

Bastila considered that remark but stayed silent as she still did not know what choice the others in her team would decide once Revan returned, would they join them or would they demand to leave? And if they did would Revan allow them to leave especially someone like Carth with the knowledge they now held. Difficult questions with no answers, she remained where she was next to Surik and watched as the fleet now surrounded the planet Reekiad and its surrounding space. Once the fleet was in positon and ships had moved to watch all hyperspace lane routes into the area, minute’s later hangar doors opened and a dozen shuttles headed down to the planet to secure the area Revan had ordered.

+TR+

(Nar Shaddaa)

Revan snarled as he swung his lightsaber in wild sweeping motion decapitating one of the mercenaries who had tried to ambush them at the landing platform before spinning to face another, all around him the others fought their own battles whilst Major Shepard’s team defended Ana and her team. He noted Atton Rand sticking close to Ana’s side even as she used the force to help defend them as best she could in her weakened condition, hearing a scream he turned to see another charging mercenary charging him and he thrust out his hand and unleashed a barrage of force lightning sending the mercenary tumbling to the ground jerking around wildly. This allowed him to finish off his opponent before moving to end the one now trying to climb back to his feet; he slammed his lightsaber into his back before he could fully stand. Mira and Zaalbar worked almost in tandem to kill them the onrushing mercenaries with their blasters, covering each other’s flanks as they did so. Canderous and HK all but charged into the fray unleashing salvos of devastating fire into a group of mercenaries who were trying to flank them, their blaster cannons making short work of the enemy by turning them into blood shucks of skin. Zayne and Jolee cut through several mercenaries who attacked them with swords even as T3 used its own weapons to cut down two mercenaries who were trying to sneak up on them from behind, Revan took note they had thinned the heard but surely more would come knowing the ways of the Hutt. 

“Niks we are at the landing platform, execute emergency landing procedures as we are under heavy attack, cleary the platform of enemies and then make a combat landing and drop the ramp” he ordered into his comm. 

“Copy that General making my approach now, better get your team together” Niks responded. 

“Everyone fall back to Major Shepard’s position the Ebon Hawk in coming down hot” Revan shouted before moving to follow his own order cutting down another mercenary who was trying to hamstring Zayne who nodded his thanks as he moved to fall back. 

A new wave of mercenaries soon appeared and Revan wondered just how much the Hutt had offered to draw so many into attacking them, looking up he quickly spotted the streaking engine fire of the Ebon Hawk coming towards them. Shouting out an order to take cover he used the force to raise a shield, seconds later the Ebon Hawk passed them and unleashed a hail of blaster cannon fire that ripped through the mercenaries turning the majority of them into bloody chunks of meat and sent the few survivors running for their lives. The Ebon Hawk swung round and made a second pass before coming into land a few meters away from Revan’s ground, the ramp swung open and the group as one ran into the ship as fast as they could. Once on board he ordered Niks to take them out even as he hit the button to close the ramp, as much as he would like to stay and deal with the Hutt behind the attacks they had undergone on the planet he just did not have the time but perhaps he’d send a team back here to take care of the piece of slime once back at the fleet. The few survivors of the mercenaries watched as their quarry shot up into the sky before vanishing knowing they had failed, worse they had been cut to pieces by a smaller group with ease. 

Revan watched as Ana and her team were placed in the sickbay whilst the others dispersed in different areas of the ship, Rand he noticed was carrying out his orders and sticking close to Ana although her fellow Jedi seemed wary and angry with him for killing two of their comrades not that he blamed them still it was somewhat un Jedi like to hold a grudge but this just proved Jedi cannot control their emotions all the time as they are taught. Moving to the cockpit he ordered Niks to take them back to the fleet, he’d wait until they were clear of Hutt space before making contact with Vima he decided as he sat down in the co-pilots chair and closed his eyes to rest for a while.


	9. chapter 9

+TR+

(Ebon Hawk)

Revan awoke to the shaking of his shoulder by Niks and he turned to regard his comrade who remained in the pilot seat, he wondered how long he had slept probably not too long as they were still not at the fleet. 

“We’ve cleared Hutt space General and I am currently plotting the safest route back to fleet, I though now would be a good time to contact the temple like you wanted to do” Niks informed him. “Best to keep the Council believing you are on mission and our current position can be used to get to Manaan” he added. “You never know they may be tracking this ship” he offered at Revan’s look for clarification. 

“You forget we’ve already been to the fleet and that did not seem to give anything away but still better safe than sorry, send a signal to sickbay and have Rand bring Ana up to the cockpit as knowing Vima she’ll want proof her daughter is alright” Revan responded stretching slightly as he prepared to use the comm. 

A few minutes later Rand helped Ana into the cockpit still looking pale and sick from what he had done whilst Ana seemed to be quickly getting over her own near brush with death, Revan had to give it to his friend she was resilient not that he expected anything else from a Sunrider. 

“What’s up Revan?” Ana inquired as she leaned on Rand uncaring of the fact he had almost killed her a few hours ago, she knew he had not meant to do it and was just trying to drown out his pain. Once they were settled somewhere she would begin to help him overcome the trauma and rebuild himself, mind healing was one of her best abilities learned from her Mother.

“Though you might like to talk to Vima as I am about to call the temple to inform her I saved you as she asked me too” Revan responded as he waited for the comm signal to pick up the temple beacon and connect them. 

“I still don’t understand how Mother managed to get you to come after me after everything that has happened” Ana admitted as Rand helped into a seat before taking a place behind it. 

“She reminded me that you are a friend who is innocent of anything she or the Council has done to me and as for her own actions well she explained them well enough for me to understand her motives” Revan explained. “Vima is basically waging a war for the soul of the Jedi against Atris and Vrook, she cannot be effective in such a war if she removed from her position as a Council member” he continued. “She had to take part in trying to wipe my mind or she would have been removed from power simple as that, I agree with her that letting Atris or Vrook take control from Zirrik is the worst thing that could happen to the Jedi as a whole” he stated boldly. “So I am pushing aside what she did, Zhar has apologised as well for taking part in it through Vima but still that he has regrets says a lot about him but Atris and the rest still have a lot to answer for” he finished. 

“This is the Jedi Temple Ebon Hawk, we’ve been waiting for you to make contact for days” a voice sounded from the comm gaining their attention. 

“Sorry been a little busy evading Sith blockades and trying to hunt down star maps as ordered, now put me through to Master Sunrider” Revan replied easily falling back into the supposed persona of Jaks Toulon. 

“One second Ebon Hawk standby” the voice responded.

“Well you’ve finally decided to call in have we” a voice they all recognised said a few seconds later and making Revan close his hand into a fist. “We expected a progress report days ago, where is Bastila Shan” Atris demanded. 

“She is unconscious from a brief dog fight over Tatoonie with Sith fighters” Revan lied not liking this one bit, something was very wrong he could feel it. “We are on our way to Manaan to locate the next star map as ordered now we’ve recovered Ana and her team from Nar Shaddaa as ordered by Master Sunrider” he informed them. 

“You have turned into an excellent liar Revan and you clearly have a low opinion of us if you believe we would not see through your deceit” Atris shot back. “I know you still survive even after the entire Council tried to destroy your personality and implant a new one, we should have just killed you but we made a mistake and let you live” she spat over the comm. “And now your survival has led Vima, Zhar and Vash into turning traitor two by concealing your survival and the other for daring to stop me and Vrook from removing the weak rulership of Zirrik” she stated making Revan’s eyes grow cold. “We told Vima she was not to try and rescue her daughter or her team, their fate was irrelevant to the greater good we fight to bring about but she defied us and contacted you and your team but by doing so she exposed your survival and her and Zhar’s own treason” she told them bluntly. 

“Let me talk to Vima or Zirrik now” Revan demanded doing his best to control his temper at the way Atris was talking. 

“Zirrik no longer has command of the Order I deposed him I am Grandmaster now” Atris instantly replied. “Vima, Zhar and Vash are in the cells awaiting judgement for their treason, you will surrender yourself to us Revan and bring us Bastila Shan unharmed and alive or all three of them will die for your choices” she threatened and instantly Revan felt his rage ignite at the implied threat. 

“You can’t do that” Ana broke in trying to ignore the lack of care Atris had in her voice when mentioning the fate of her and her team as if they did not matter, for now she was focused on the threat to her Mother. “You are Council members, you can’t just remove the Grandmaster or arrest fellow Council members” she protested. “It goes against all the oaths you take when you became members of the Council, it betrays everything the Jedi are meant to be” she argued. “You are almost acting like Sith” she spat. 

“How dare you accuse us of behaving like Revan, Malak and their ilk Ana Sunrider” Atris snarled incensed by the accusation as in her mind she was doing what had to be done to save the Jedi and the Republic. “We have done what is needed to save the Jedi, Zirrik was old and weak and can no longer lead us effectively and thus for the good of us all I removed him from power” she stated. “I have the support of the entire Council except for Vima, Zhar and Vash who tried to stop us for doing what needs to be done” she informed them coldly. “What happens to your Mother and the others is up to Revan now, surrender yourself to our judgement and bring back Bastila or be responsible for Vima and the others deaths” she said giving him the choice and making Ana glance at Revan in alarm. 

“Be very careful right now Atris of the path you take or you may just bring ruin down upon you and all who follow you” Revan warned barely forcing his temper back. “You will release Vima and the others immediately and you will then restore Zirrik to his post as Grandmaster, at this time I am not your enemy but if you do not do as I as ask you will change that fact” he swore. 

+TR+

(Jedi Temple)

Vandar exchanged unsure looks with Kavar as Revan finally responded having been listening and trying to ignore the accusations Ana Sunrider had made, accusations that held a lot of truth for they had broken their vows in allowing Atris to remove Zirrik and replace him as Grandmaster. That she had accused them of acting like Sith really made them uncomfortable, the way Atris and Vrook were acting also did not sit well them and Kavar was truly feeling shameful in not standing with Vash in defence of Zirrik. Vandar was becoming more and more convinced that something was wrong with Atris, the very tone of her voice and the anger and hatred in it was not at all like the Jedi he had known before Revan and his followers had joined the Mandalorian War. That had been when she had first started to change, the loss of the Exile to Revan’s cause had angered her all the more as Atris had once thought the Exile would be one of the greatest Jedi in the future. It seems the years since had not been kind to her and it was only now he was seeing that fact, how could he have missed the growing darkness inside her he wondered? Vrook too was showing far more anger than ever before, his constant demands that they should have killed Revan should have shown something was wrong but he had ignored it they all had. 

Vima was right to have been worried by their obsession with Revan whilst Malak and his people brought the Republic down all around them; it was like they had a blind spot and they only thought of and saw Revan as the problem. Now he saw what Vima and perhaps Zhar had seen, but he was already too late as he had failed to stop them seizing control of the Council through shock at Jedi turning against Jedi and worse Council members to boot. He could do nothing but watch as Atris tried to force Revan to surrender but he knew it would never happen, Revan’s response somewhat confirmed what they had heard through the recorded conversation between him and Vima. Revan by his owns words was not their enemy right now no he was Malak’s, but what Atris was doing was going to make him turn his attention onto them and he dreaded where that might lead. The Republic was weak and barely holding against Malak, even now they were reorganising their defences closer to the core worlds giving Malak a huge advantage. They might be able to stop Malak striking into the core but if Revan decided to come for them too at the same time, well they may not be able to keep both out. 

“You cannot threaten us Revan, you have no followers as they all turned on you when Malak betrayed you as the Sith always betray one another” Vrook retorted coldly and dismissively of Revan’s words. “You proved weak and thus they would not follow you even if they learned you were still alive” he added confidently. 

“You make it sound as if Malak beat me in one on one combat Vrook when we all know he stabbed me in back whilst I was dealing with your strike team and the only reason your ambush worked was Bastila” Revan shot back heatedly. “Without out Malak would have had to face me in combat and would have perished which he well knew, which is why he chose to act as he did because he was scared and you are so afraid of me that you have let madness corrupt you” he spat over the comm. “Instead of focusing on Malak who is the true threat, you and Atris are obsessed with seeing me dead because you fear me, hate me and see me as the reason for what has befallen the Jedi” he accused his tone cold. “When in fact it is on your heads any of this has happened, you refused to do your duty and protect the Republic when the Mandalorians invaded and thus it fell to me and my followers to do it and in doing so we learned terrible truths that been locked in the temples blinds us too” he continued knowing his accusations had to be hitting each of them hard. “The Jedi code is old and outdated, and we ignore far too much under the excuse it is outside our purview and that is one of the reasons I returned as I did as change needs to be applied both to the Republic and especially to the Jedi” he finished. 

Atris snarled in outrage at Revan’s audacity to dare blame them for his choices and those of his followers, for daring to put the blame for what he and Malak have done on their shoulders when no one but them were to blame for their actions. They turned to the darkside, they betrayed the Jedi and the Republic for their own personal wants and trying to make excuses for that was just more proof of how far he had fallen. Vrook frowned not believing or even really listening to Revan’s view of events, the man to him was the greater danger than Malak who in his eyes was nothing but a beast now. A beast intent on destruction thus barely thinking things through, Revan though was always thinking thus making him a bigger threat. His words were obviously a ploy on sowing confusion and disagreement between the Council members; make them lower their guard as he proclaimed himself no longer their enemy only to strike at them if they foolishly believed him. 

“Your lies and half-truths will not sway us Revan, surrender yourself and Bastila and save your friends from an undeserved death” he ordered.   
“It will not just be Vima, Zhar and Vash who will suffer Revan if you refuse but also the Jedi who aide them and those on your ship who know the truth and help you anyway” Zez Kai-El threatened. 

“I give you one last chance, return Zirrik to his rightful place and release Vima and the others or pay the price because I assure you I will come to Corusant but you will not enjoy my visit” Revan warned them all. 

“You have two days Revan to surrender or on the third Vima and the others will be executed” Atris stated before cutting the connection leaving only silence behind. 

“Foolish that threat was, come now Revan will” Vandar stated with a sad shake of his head. “Your anger the better of you it has” he warned. 

“Not anger Vandar” Atris defended with a shake of her head. “What I feel for Revan is disappointment and regret at what he has become, what he has led others to become” she stated totally believing her own lie. 

Vandar did not believe Atris’s response for a minute for in this conversation with Revan he had seen her true self and it disturbed him greatly, he had been wrong to let surprise get the better of him and should have helped Vash stop the coup. 

“Doesn’t matter how you meant it to come out Atris I know how Revan will interpret it, you challenged him and threatened those he might still consider friends especially Vima and he will come for them” Kavar cut in before Vandar could respond. “We have to prepare, Revan is not someone we should underestimate whether he has help or not” he warned.

“We have the advantage here Kavar, you give the man too much credit” Vrook snorted in response. “Fine he was a good General back during the war but he didn’t do it alone, he had Malak and the Exile and others helping him now he is by himself except those on the Ebon Hawk and Bastila will not aide him against us” he stated confidently easily able to fool himself into downplaying Revan’s abilities. 

“That is if Bastila has not fallen under Revan’s influence” Zez Kai-El cautioned. “From what we heard on that recording she seems to view him not as an enemy but perhaps an ally due that deal they mentioned having made, can we trust that she would not aide him considering she seems to support Vima and the others views?” he added. 

“We are fellow Jedi and Council members whilst Revan is a Sith the enemy of all she swore to defend and as long as she still holds to be a Jedi she will not aide him against us” Vrook replied confidently. 

“Enough we have to prepare for Revan to come to us and prepare we will, ensure several guards are sent to keep an eye on Vima and the others in the cells as we can ill afford them escaping” Atris ordered before standing and leaving the room. 

Silence followed her departure as the others considered what had just taken place and what preparations they had to make before Revan and his small crew arrived, none of them except Vrook expected it to be a simple affair. 

+TR+

(Ebon Hawk)

Revan wanted to let out a cry of rage as Atris gave her final ultimatum but he managed to swallow it, he focused on the fact clearly those who had joined her in her coup did not believe he still had supporters and that was fine with him. Glancing at Ana he noted she looked truly fearful and he guessed it was about the threat to her Mother’s life, he reached and touched her hand gaining her attention. 

“Nothing is going to happen to Vima and the others Ana I promise you” he told her. “Atris cannot carry out her threat without causing an uproar in the Order as never before has a Jedi been executed in such a fashion before and added on is the fact Vima, Zhar and Vash are Council members well it would rip the Jedi in two and she cannot afford such a split right now” he informed her knowing what he was saying was true. “She is bluffing right now, and that gives us the advantage as does the fact that clearly she does not believe I have any support left, there she is dead wrong” he stated as he stood up and hit the internal comm. “Everyone assemble in the main cabin now, we have a situation” he ordered before switching it off. “Niks get us back to the fleet at maximum speed, we have a rescue to put into action” he told the pilot. 

“Understood General” Niks responded as he increased the speed and pushed the speed to its limits as he knew the discussion that had just taken place had truly angered the General and Corusant and more importantly the Jedi Order was about to feel the brunt of his anger. 

Revan helped Ana up and then aided her into the main cabin where the others on the ship had assembled; Rand came up behind them and took up a position behind Ana. 

“What’s going on Revan?” Zayne inquired not liking the look in Revan’s eyes or the tremor he could feel in the force indicating something big was about to happen. 

“Atris and Vrook have staged a coup within the Council and removed Zirrik as Grandmaster, they had also had Vima, Zhar and Vash arrested and charged with treason and is even now threatening to have them executed unless I surrender myself and turn over Bastila to them” he answered. “This is a threat we cannot allow to become entrenched, Atris and Vrook will corrupt the Jedi Order beyond something capable of been saved and thus we must go to Corusant and remove them from power” he stated. 

“Corusant is the Republic capital General; we can’t just go there and attack the temple” Kelly argued. 

“No we can’t not without causing a huge distraction and that is what I plan to do” Revan countered. “I will lead a small portion of the fleet to Corusant to distract and confuse the Republic, Canderous, Mira I want you to head there in advance with a team and hire as many mercenaries as you can to do the same on the ground cause chaos and if you can empty the temple of as many Jedi and temple guard as you can” he told them. “Have them chasing you all over the place, wound them if you have too but do not kill them unless you have no choice as that is not the aim of this mission” he added focusing his gaze on the two who nodded in understanding. “Once the distractions have hit I and my team will hit the temple and rescue Vima and the others and in the same instant remove Atris and her supporters before we leave” he finished. 

Zayne was right in thinking something big was going to go down but this went beyond what he had been expecting, but he had to agree with Revan that neither Vrook nor Atris could be allowed to control the Council as both were angry and arrogant people. He well remembered how Vrook had acted towards him even when proof of his innocence had been given; no this had to be done to save the Jedi Order from two people who should never rise to the rank of Grandmaster. That they had staged a coup was shocking enough, clearly they were going down a dark path if they could do such a thing. Jolee was unsurprised to hear such things were going on back at the temple, he had seen just how far Jedi could sink and thus that some would stage a coup did not shock him. 

“Revan, if we are to pull this off we will need Bastila’s battle meditation to give us the edge” Zayne pointed out. 

“I know and I will talk to her once we get back to the fleet once I’ve done putting together the team Canderous will lead to Corusant” Revan replied with a nod of head in agreement as they would indeed need Bastila and her battle meditation. 

+TR+

(Leviathan)

Malak looked out of the main window of his ship to see the dark shadow of the Star Forge eclipse the entire vessel, he had to admit every time he saw the huge space station it gave him a chill to think of what the ancient Rakata species were capable off, this station beat anything the Sith, Mandalorians or even the Republic could build. It was powered by the energy of a nearby star and combined with the power of the force it could build an endless supply of war material, this was what had made him and Revan so powerful when compared to the weak Republic and now it was his alone now that he had replaced Revan. 

“Begin docking procedures Admiral, I want to be fully resupplied within five hours” he ordered without turning to face Karath. “I want the guards to bring Dorak and the other Jedi we captured to the docking bay, have something special planned out for them on the station” he added before going silent as he felt a tremor rip through the force and he frowned wondering at its source. 

“Understood my Lord, beginning docking procedures and the guards are bringing the prisoners to the docking bay as ordered” Karath informed him a few minutes later. 

“Good, do not disturb me for the next two hours once I board the station” Malak warned him as he turned and headed for the exit. “If there is a problem handle it” he ordered before leaving the bridge to head to the docking bay so he could take Dorak and his other Jedi Prisoners to the room he had found in the Star Forge that would give him the power over anyone including Revan and it was their very lives and perhaps their souls that would enable him to access that power. 

+TR+

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Meetra ran to the bridge as the alarm blared quickly entered at a run with Bastila close behind her, Rikka was already there waiting for her. 

“The Ebon Hawk has just jumped into the sector and is on approach General and General Revan wishes to talk to you” Rikka reported.

“Put him on speaker Rikka” Meetra ordered. “Revan did you manage to rescue Ana and her team?” she inquired once the comm was connected. 

“I managed to rescue Ana and three of her team but two others were already dead before we got there, we found the team who had captured them were loyal to us and are also with me” Revan replied sounding angry and she wondered what had happened to make him so. “Meetra I want you to get at least two hundred and fifty ships from the rest of the fleet a combination of battleships, carriers, cruisers and destroyers and get me the best infiltration and assault team we have assembled to meet us in the hangar bay” he ordered surprising Meetra and especially Bastila. 

“Revan what is going on?” Bastila could not help but ask. 

“Atris and Vrook have staged a coup and taken over the Jedi Order, they also arrested Vima, Zhar and Vash and jailed them for treason and now threaten their lives if I do not surrender and hand you over to them” Revan answered now making the entire bridge go silent. “We are going to rescue them and remove Atris, Vrook and anyone who supports them and return Zirrik to his rightful place as Grandmaster before Atris and Vrook destroy the very soul of the Jedi and make it unable to be saved” he explained. “Bastila we will need your battle meditation if we are to make this work” he added. “The aim is to distract the defences and allow us to get into the temple to do our work, Canderous will lead the assault and infiltration team and whatever mercenaries they can hire to lure out the Jedi and temple guard, death is not the aim just distraction and confusion” he told them repeating his statement at the end for Bastila’s benefit. 

Bastila could not believe what Revan had just said, Atris and Vrook had betrayed their oaths and staged a coup, had she never met Revan and seen the truth of how the galaxy truly worked she would never believe such a thing possible but she had seen and did not doubt they could do this. She would do what she could to help put things right and if that meant using her battle meditation then so be it, anyway she had already declared her loyalty was to Revan and this would prove it to Rikka and the rest of the fleet. 

“Understood Revan, I’ll meet you in the hangar as well” Bastila finally said. 

“Have Carth with you, I have some important information for him” Revan requested before Meetra cut in. 

“I’m coming too Revan, if you intend to confront Atris then you can bet I am coming” she insisted. “I owe her and quite a few of the others a swift kick in the teeth, and I intend to reclaim what they took from me” she added. 

“Good assemble in the hangar as well once you get things moving, Rikka you’ll be in charge of the fleet whilst we are away understood?” Revan replied. 

“Yes General” Rikka said with a nod of her head feeling a spark of anticipation as this would be the first step of their renewed crusade since Revan and General Surik had been returned to the fleet. 

“You heard him start finding the best ships for the job” Meetra ordered as Revan cut the comm and the Ebon Hawk headed for the hangar. “Make sure the battleships and   
carriers are the best we have, overwhelming surprise and better ships will give us the edge in this” she told them. “The Revanchists are going back to war” she stated as she turned and headed for the hangar after giving the order for the main assault and infiltration team to assemble on the hangar, Bastila quickly followed as Rikka and the bridge continued to work to carry out their orders.


	10. chapter 10

+TR+ 

(Leviathan Class Battleship Revenge)

Bastila headed for Carth’s room before suddenly pausing as she felt a sudden urge from the force to go her own, pulling her pack from underneath the bed she opened it and removed from the bottom Revan’s mask wrapped in cloth which she had kept since been urged by the force to take it from the bridge of Revan’s former commands ship when she originally captured him. Opening the cloth she ran her hand over the mask somehow sensing through the force that now was the time to give Revan the mask back, he would need it from this point on as it was more than just a mask but a symbol to him and to his all of his followers a symbol of what bound them. Rewrapping the mask she turned and exited the room and entered Carth’s room, she found the pilot sitting in a chair staring off into nothing. 

“Carth are you okay?” she inquired somewhat concerned.

“I’m fine Bastila just been doing some serious thinking and to be honest I don’t much like what I realised but I think I’m in a better place now than I have been now I realise those things” Carth responded vaguely. “Is there something you need?” he inquired having no interest in sharing his realisations with the Jedi Princess as she had been known back on the Endar Spire. 

“Revan wants you in the hangar, something has happened back on Corusant and we are going to put it right” Bastila answered. “Perhaps he wants you to pilot the ship in” she mused as Carth got up. 

“What’s happened?” Carth asked with interest. 

“I’ll explain as we go, from the sound of Revan’s voice we will be leaving quickly once he’s unloaded Ana Sunrider and her team” Bastila assured him.

“So he managed to rescue them then” Carth stated as he followed Bastila out of his room whilst strapping his belt with his blaster on. 

“Of course he did Carth, now come on we need to get to the hangar” Bastila responded before beginning to explain just what had happened back on Corusant.   
In the hangar deck Revan walked down as fast as he could go eager to get things underway with the rest of the team following, he shouted for a medical team to be summoned to see to Ana and her team who would be staying here. Meetra quickly entered the hangar at a steady pace but Bastila he noted was absence but sensed she was retrieving Carth as he had requested, Canderous soon joined him with Mira behind him just as the assault and infiltration team ran into hangar already fully kitted out. 

“Okay Canderous this is Major Baxter and Commander Rex the leaders of my best assault and infiltration teams, you will head to Corusant first ahead of us with them and make as much chaos as you can around the temple and hopefully draw out the temple guard and as many Jedi as you can” Revan informed the Mandalorian who nodded as he looked the two men over easily spotting the bearing of competent military training in both. “As I said the aim is to distract so only wound them if you have to, kill only if your life is endangered” he reminded them all. “Canderous is in overall charge of this mission, you will listen to his commands so put aside any lingering hostility from the past and focus on the mission at hand” he stated to his teams who snapped to attention and saluted. “Hire any other mercenaries you want, we have the credits for it thus giving you better advantage to draw them away from the temple” he finished turning back to Canderous. 

“Got it, this is going to be fun” Canderous stated with a smirk knowing that once again he was been delayed from getting Mandalore’s mask but he was a patient man and knew once this was over he would get what he had been promised. “Which ship are we taking?” he inquired already knowing they would not be using the Ebon Hawk. 

“I already had the Firestorm ready Revan, it is unknown or recognised by any Republic records so they should get in without raising any red flags and our teams are in blank uniforms with no recognised insignia” Meetra answered directing their attention to the far end of the hangar where a sleek black shuttle lay been seen to by a deck crew. 

“Nice” Canderous muttered liking the look of the design clearly made for war in fact it almost made him think of a Basilisk war droid. 

“Get going we’ll be right behind you once we have the ships ready, when we’re ready to strike we’ll send you a signal to begin your part of the mission” Revan ordered as he turned to watch the medical team arrive to help Ana and her team and he noted Rand continued to stick with them to his satisfaction. “Major Shepard you will report to Rikka on the bridge for debriefing, once that is done you can relax until I return” he said turning to the waiting figures of Kelly and her team. 

“Understood sir, good luck General” Kelly responded with her own salute before she and her team departed even as Canderous and his group boarded their shuttle and prepared to leave. 

Bastila entered with Carth just behind her as he watched the shuttle leave passing through the shield that kept the hangar pressurised, he knew what he was about to share with Carth was not going to go down easy for the pilot. In fact he expected a lot of shouting and argument before he accepted the truth, but it had to be done now before he found out another way from another source then learned he had known and not told him. Bastila he noted looked slightly nervous but through the bond she felt confident and calm, he pulled the data pad the major had given him and waited for Bastila and Carth to reach them. 

“Ok I’m here and Bastila has explained what’s going on but I don’t see what help I can be unless you want me to pilot the Ebon Hawk down” Carth said as he came to a stop. 

“As you know we went to Nar Shaddaa to rescue a team of Jedi been held in a bunker, what you don’t know was the bunker was also one of our main communication hubs monitoring not only Republic channels but Malak’s Sith as well” Revan explained seeing no reason to beat around the bush. “I had them download the archive into T3, Major Shepard commander of the bunker and loyal to me as was her team gave me the most recent updates, Carth I have to tell you that your belief that your son was killed when Malak attacked Telos was incorrect” he informed the other man who instantly looked shocked. “He survived the bombardment and was found by Saul Karath who then took him to Korriban to be trained as a Sith as he displayed a small talent to use the force, it was a way for Karath to gain revenge on you” he finished. 

Carth stared at Revan as if he did not quite hear what he had just said, he felt the blood cursing through his body as a darkness seemed to fall over his eyesight and all he could focus on was Revan. What he said couldn’t be true could it? He asked himself as Dustin had died with his wife when Telos was bombed, he had been told by the few survivors of the city they lived in they were both dead. But whereas he had found his wife’s body he had never been able to find his son’s he recalled, but he had been certain if Dustin had been alive he would have found him as he had searched the planet high and low after the bombing. 

“It can’t be true, Dustin was killed I was told he was dead by the survivors” he managed to argue. 

“More than likely threatened into telling you that by Karath and whatever soldiers he took with him” Revan countered. “I know it is hard to hear Carth but they clearly lied to you, here see for yourself” he added as he handed over the tablet. 

Carth took the tablet with trembling hands before he steadied his nerves and looked at the tablet, slowly he scanned down the information it held before coming to rest on the part which detailed everything Revan had just told him. He read each word carefully feeling as if his body was frozen as he realised Revan had not been lying or making things up, Dustin was alive and on Korriban taken there by Karath as a final revenge on him for daring not to join him. His entire body shook with rage but with the greatest effort he managed to force it, but he swore when he finally came face to face with Saul Karath he would make that man suffer before he killed him. 

“Before you think of running off to Korriban Carth don’t we need you alive” Revan stated calmly as he noted the inner struggle Carth was going through. “I swear when I get back from dealing with Atris and Vrook’s coup I will personally take you to Korriban to retrieve your son, but you need to be calm and focused if you are to survive our trip so I need you to stay here and regain control of yourself” he told him as Carth focused his gaze on him.  
Carth just barely stopped himself from lashing out at Revan as he talked instead he focused on his offer and vow. “I have your word on that right, when you get back we leave for Korriban?” he demanded. 

“Almost after I get back, allow me to retrieve Mandalore’s Mask from the planet below as I promised him and then we go” Revan countered. “I’ve already had to postpone getting it twice, a third delay might prove costly and it will take time once he has the mask to call together his people time that as you know is against us” he explained. “Once we hit Corusant we will be announcing the survival of not just myself Carth but my people as well, Malak will not hesitate to start burning things down to destroy us” he added. 

“Fine I agree but if you cross me on this I will put a hole through you no matter what” Carth agreed heatedly before he spun and headed back to his room missing the raised hand of Revan that stopped any of his people getting in his way. 

“Let him go, he is angry and not in full control of himself” Revan ordered as his people looked at him questionable. “Time to leave” he said to Bastila and Meetra and they boarded the Ebon Hawk to find Jolee, HK-47, T3 and Zayne already inside waiting for them. “Ok Niks take us to the Fireclaw so can get this mission underway once the rest of the ships have assembled” he ordered over the comm. 

The ramp closed behind him blocking their view of Juhani who rushed into the hangar only to see the Ebon Hawk take flight, letting out a curse she could only watch and pray to the force that Revan would not cause too much damage on Corusant.

+TR+ 

(Star Forge)  
Dorak looked around the dark dull room he and his fellow captives had been led too, the huge space station had an ugly feel to it and it was so bathed in the dark side of the force it made him shiver. Where had Malak and Revan found the information that led them here, was this where the corruption had started for them or had been earlier. Then the taunts and story Malak had told him came back to him and he felt his mind cloud as he tried to figure out if there was any truth to what he had been told, he had sensed no deceit in Malak as he talked and thus as much as he wished to deny it there had to be some truth to his words. He could barely feel anything now as his and his fellow captive’s connection to the force had been cut off by the dampening collars they now wore, but even with his connection cut down he could feel the tendrils of the dark side everywhere he looked. Suddenly the guards stood to attention and Malak himself entered looking quite pleased with himself, unable to help himself he wished he had listened to the others and left Dantoonie when the others had. 

“Welcome to the heart of the Star Forge my friends this is the centre of the station and a room not even Revan found when he was still with us” he told them with a large smile. 

“Only I have cracked its secrets and soon you will aide me in destroying Revan when he finally comes to reclaim this station” he boasted. 

“We’ll never aide you Sith spawn” Knight Jalgar spat as he glared at Malak, instead of getting angry Malak just laughed all the harder. 

“You have no choice in the matter Jedi, you see these pods in the centre of the room they are you final resting place for once I put you in them you will never leave them alive” Malak countered and Dorak suddenly felt a sense of dread fill him. “When it is time for me to face Revan I will lure him to this room and here I will have the advantage, you see once you are in those pods I will be able to syphon your life force and force powers to renew myself during any duel thus no matter Revan’s strength I will outlast him and finally kill him” he explained and watched and each Jedi suddenly paled as they began to realise what was in store for them. 

“You are a coward Alek, once again you seek to take Revan out by having an advantage over him, you are so scared of facing him normally because you know you can’t win so you cheat” Dorak growled deciding to try and anger Malak beyond reason and hope he lost control as that seemed the only well out of this nightmare. “Some Sith Lord you are when you cannot even kill your enemy without cheating, without cowardly shooting him in the back or poisoning him or using this machine to aide you” he continued but Malak he noted was not raising to the bait this time. 

“Sith Lord’s do not believe in fair fights Dorak all that matters to us is power and that is my best advantage over Revan” Malak stated coldly as he felt his rage ignite at the Jedi Master’s taunts but did not allow that rage to make him act as it would rob him of kill Dorak in a far more painful and useful way when Revan came for him. “Revan still clings to the idea of morality and been fair, he will learn the error of his ways and die right here and you and your fellow Jedi will be the instrument of my victory not only over him but over your beloved Jedi Order and Republic” he shouted as he imagined the future to come. 

“You will fail Malak either your pride or your arrogance will get the better of you and you will fall” Dorak cried out as he witnessed the complete madness that had infected Malak show itself. “Revan if he is truly still loyal will cut you in half for what you have done” he vowed knowing no matter what he said or believed now his fate was sealed so he shot out one last barb he knew would anger Malak.

“Put them in the pods” Malak ordered his eyes growing colder at Dorak’s parting shot. 

He then watched as the Jedi tried to struggle or run from their well-deserved fate but he knew there was no escape for them now, even if they had made it out of the room there were a dozen more guards just waiting outside. Smirking he watched as finally Dorak the last Jedi to be pushed forward was shoved into the last pod and the broken look in his eyes as it sealed itself was truly something to see. 

“Enjoy your last sleep Jedi for soon I will suck out your life force and force powers and you will die agonising deaths, and there will be no comforting end for you in the force as your very spirits will be destroyed by the process” he taunted as his last words to them before he set the system and watched as the pods began to hum and a kind of shield snapped over them as each Jedi was put into a sort of coma until the time came for him to make use of them. 

Dorak had only a few seconds to prey to the force for some sort of miracle to deliver him and his fellow captives from the fate Malak intended for them, he had to prey Revan would destroy the pods as soon as he finally arrived here as it was only way to save their souls from been devoured he thought before he faded out and blackness claimed him. Malak walked over to the pod holding Dorak and smirked in at the caged and now unconscious Jedi Master, he would ensure to save him for last in his final duel with Revan he decided. Exiting the room he turned and sealed the door once all the guards had left, no one but him had access to this particular room and he would ensure no one even tried to get in setting a few security devices in place he turned and headed for this room within the great space station. He needed to make a call to Bandon who had been quiet since arriving on Korriban, he had allowed matters to escape him such as his apprentices lack of action as he had been busy conquering Illum but no longer. 

+TR+

(Korriban, Sith Academy)

Darth Bandon strolled through the academy in a bad mood as still Revan had not come; he had begun to suspect that clearly their former leader was leaving Korriban for last. He supposed he could see the wisdom in that, preparing his party for the dangers of the Sith world. But the waiting was driving him mad as he had to put up with the snivelling cowards who tried to curry favour with him, and then there was also the Uthar Wynn Master of the academy who he was certain was planning to try and assassinate him so as to take his place as Malak’s apprentice. Finally he was certain Wynn’s second was also planning something but he was uncertain what her goal was, but he was on guard for any signs of treason from either of them. 

“My Lord there is a communication coming in for you” one of Wynn’s underlings reported as he ran over to him stopping quickly as he noted Bandon’s hand drop to his lightsaber. 

“From who?” Bandon inquired with narrowed eyes. 

“It is Lord Malak my Lord he requests you respond immediately” the man reported clearly trembling in fear at the malice reflected in Bandon’s eyes which made him smile.   
Bandon snorted and indicated for the man to lead him to the communication room, he had already suspected what his Master wanted with him considering their last conversation days ago. Enter the room he glared at the radio operator and ordered him from the room and the shut and locked the door, sitting down he took a deep breath before answering the call. 

“I am here Master, what is your order?” he inquired beginning to feel annoyed at having to obey Malak who for so long was Revan’s loyal friend and in a sense had a part to play in the deaths of his friends. 

“I want an update, has Revan and Shan arrived yet?” Malak’s harsh voice demanded. 

“No Master I believe he is saving coming to Korriban last which makes sense, the time delay is at least ensuring I will have some surprises in store for him when he finally arrives” Bandon answered confidently. 

“You sound confident whatever plans you are putting forward will work” Malak mused. 

“They will, Revan will come here believing his identity is secure due to many not knowing what he looked like without that damn mask he always wore” Bandon retorted. “But I have seen him and I brought a picture of him here to ensure he could not hide who he was, once he lands his ship will be locked down and the defence cannons locked on it so should it try and take off it will be destroyed” he boasted. 

“Fool I don’t want Shan dead I want her alive” Malak spat over the comm and Bandon paused as he heard the anger in his Master’s voice. 

“She will be captured by that point my Lord and Revan dead” Bandon assured him knowing even as he said it if he failed in either task he would suffer for it. 

“See to it that she is, as long as you have the woman I can forgive you allowing Revan and his allies to escape but if she escapes your grasp alongside them then you will suffer for weeks before I kill you for you failure” Malak warned him before he cut the transmission.   
Bandon stared at the radio for a few seconds angrily wishing he could remove his Master from leadership but he was not yet ready to confront his Master, not yet powerful enough in the dark side to ensure he would win a duel against Malak. He also had to start looking for those willing to follow him, even Malak had needed support when he had overthrown Revan and he would need the same before deposing Malak. Getting he stalked out of the room using the force to send both men outside flying into the fall, this simple act of cruelty settled him as he headed back for his quarters. 

Yuthura meditated in her quarters the only place she could do this without raising suspicion as Sith did not meditate as Jedi do, she focused herself knowing that soon she would tested as never before once Revan and his party arrived. Already Bandon and Uthar were making plans and readying the academy to ensure he and his team became trapped, she had managed to find some students and two teachers who like her were not fully emerged in the dark side and either still had some loyalty to Revan or believed Malak was unfit to lead due to his cowardly attack on Malak and wanted to see him and his apprentice and anyone who supported them removed from the Empire. She knew those who only wanted to see Malak and his ilk removed could only be trusted so far, if Revan would not take control of the Empire once more then cleary they would try and kill them. The others who like her were still loyal to Revan would be ready for that moment, opening her eyes she wondered just what she would say to him when he did arrive. How to explain why she had remained on Korriban when the coup had happened, hopefully he would be in a listening mood when he did arrive or she would die before she could explain or redeem herself in his eyes.

Dustin Onasi stared off into space within his own quarters trying to process that once again that he was actually on Korriban the home world of the Sith, the very Sith who had a hand in his Mother’s death. He had been brought here by a man he knew had been a friend of his Father’s for some time, that man had told him how his Father had abandoned him and his Mother to their fates so he could play hero once more like he had in the Mandalorian War. This had stoked the anger and resentment he had been beginning to feel towards his Father why he had agreed to come here, he knew it would drive his Father made to know he had joined the people he fought so hard. But he also had to admit to himself he did not feel good here, this whole planet was filled with anger and hatred he cool feel somehow more than likely due to the very faint trace of the force he had. Sadly he would never be a Jedi or true Sith warrior but he could sense and feel things most could not, which was how he knew most of his fellow trainees hated him and wanted to kill him for been the Son of a Republic hero. Sith didn’t care how many people they lost as they fought to advance up the command list, only the power they earned by doing so and it was beginning to make him regret coming here. 

Uthar Wynn was currently watching the assassins Darth Bandon had brought with him, studying their routines so as to find the best time to ambush and kill them so he could replace them with his own men. Thanks to the masks they wore Bandon would not even know his supposed backup were actually going to kill him, they would kill Revan as well and then he would draw Malak to Korriban with the news as well as the capture of Bastila Shan and then kill him and assume his rightful role as Dark Lord of the Sith. Smiling at the very thought he locked his hands behind his and back and continued to watch his targets knowing he had to put his plans into motion soon before Revan and his party arrived on Korriban.

+TR+

(Corusant)

Canderous smirked as he hired his tenth mercenary for the mission ahead which gave quite a force now when combined with the infiltration and assault team Revan had assigned him, three of the mercenaries were known to him and one other was a contact of Mira’s who stood beside him. Two others were fellow Mandalorians and had agreed to help when he mentioned that when this mission was over he would gain Mandalore’s Mask, they had been sceptical at first but he had sworn a blood oath it was true and they had fallen into line. He supposed he should be somewhat annoyed at the delay in getting hold of the Mask due to unforeseen problems creeping up but he wasn’t, he knew Revan was a man of his word and would keep his promise and hand over the Mask. 

“Okay people time to plan how to do this, Commander Rex I want you and your team positioned to the side of the temple complex with two of our new allies to help whilst Major Baxter takes the back side with another three of our allies leaving me, MIra and the remaining men to take the front side” he stated after calling the group together. “At the signal from Revan we will start our diversion and cause all hell to break out, our goal is to draw out the temple guard and what Jedi we can and lead them away from the temple” he stated noting two of the mercenaries didn’t look too happy and guessed because the mission seemed so simple. “Make no mistake this will not be as easy it as sounds, Jedi have a habit of been annoying and their powers make them harder to fight and we have orders not to kill them unless our lives are threatened thus we are at an handicap” he warned. 

“Can we at least wound them?” one of his fellow Mandalorians inquired. 

“Yes Jango you can wound them, in fact probably that should be the goal wound as many as you can but do not kill them unless you have no other choice” Canderous answered with a nod of his head. 

“The fleet should be close to arriving Commander” Rex reported finding that so far the Mandalorian was cool headed and sharp but that did not mean he trusted him just yet. 

“Good, take your places and prepare to act once we receive Revan’s signal” Canderous ordered. “Keep moving away from the temple once we have their attention, we have to be ready once this is over to just vanish” he added just before they broke up. 

“Where do we meet up?” another of the mercenaries asked. 

“Our rendezvous point is the small hangar here on the far side of the main complex where our ship is hidden with our pilot ready to leave once we are on board” Canderous informed them. “You’ll get the rest of your pay once we are in space” he told them as he had already paid them half so as to hire them.   
Everyone nodded and then broke up and began to head towards the temple which loomed in the background, Canderous smirked once more before he took his helmet from Mira and placed it over his head and headed there with his own team. 

+TR+

(Ebon Hawk)

Bastila found Revan meditating alongside Zayne and Meetra clearly preparing for the mission ahead, she couldn’t feel their movement in space as currently the ship was in the hangar of the Fireclaw one of the Sister ships of the Revenge. His eyes instantly opened to lock onto her form making her pause as he took her in, she noted Zayne and Meetra also came out of the meditative trance as they felt her presence in the force. 

“Something wrong Bastila?” Revan inquired as he stood up. 

“I have something to return to you Revan and I know now is the time to give it to you” Bastila responded slowly before removing the hand that held the mask behind her back forward and showing Revan what she held. Instant Meetra was on her feet as she realised just what it was Bastila had in her hands, she had believed the Mask was lost when   
Revan was almost killed by Malak and considering the look on Revan’s face he had seemed to think the same. 

“You kept it” Revan stated in surprise having had no clue she had his Mask in her procession. 

“The force ensured I took it with me when I took you prisoner, since then I have kept it in my pack waiting until I felt it was time to return it to you” Bastila explained. 

“Why didn’t you hand it over to the Council?” Meetra inquired. 

“I knew they would destroy it fearing it was somehow tainted by the darkside and that was not what the force wanted, I could feel that Revan would need the Mask again somewhere in the future but at the time I assumed that meant his supposed new identity would use it now Revan’s true self” Bastila answered as she offered the mask to its owner. 

Revan slowly reached out and took the Mask from Bastila’s hands allowing his fingers to graze her own as he did so making her shiver, he recalled when he first found the Mask back on Cathar and it gave everyone on the planet a vision of what Cassus Fett and his followers had done to the majority of the Cathar species. How he had sworn on his life and to the previous wearer of the Mask a female Mandalorian who had protested the massacre and been murdered for it that he would not remove until he had defeated the Mandalorians. The Mask had become a part of him since then and he had worn even after he had won the war, when he had woken on the way to Dantoonie he had immediately missed his Mask and feared it had been destroyed along with his former command ship. He felt the force swirl around him as he stared at the Mask before finally he turned it around and placed it on his head, instantly he felt as if he was finally fully himself once more felt almost as if a jolt of power had been sent through his body when put the Mask back on. 

Bastila shivered as she stared at Revan once he had put the Mask on instantly flashing back to the moment she had first seen him on the bridge of his former command ship when she and her party ambushed him, instantly the sense of danger she had felt back then returned but she knew Revan was no threat to her. 

“General we are about to jump into Corusant space, all weapons are primed and ready” Admiral Stark reported over the comm. 

“Excellent Admiral, remember do not destroy the ships you engage just distract them” Revan responded after moving over to the comm. “Open the hangar doors once we exit hyper space and prepare to launch all fighters to cover our journey down, everyone to your seats this is going to be rough” he ordered as he turned to the others. “Niks send the signal to Canderous as soon as the Fireclaw exits hyperspace” he added as he moved into the cockpit and sat down beside his pilot. 

“Ready and waiting General” Niks shot back with a smirk as he waited.   
“Exiting hyperspace now” Admiral Stark reported before they all felt the sudden shift of the ship as it came to a dead stop over Corusant and the sudden shakes as a battle broke out. 

“Launching now, signal sent” Niks stated as he warmed up the Ebon Hawk just as the hangar doors opened before launching into the darkness of space once more with a dozen fighters covering their decent. 

+TR+

(Corusant)

The Ebon Hawk streaked down towards the planet that looked like one giant city as Revan’s fleet took the defence fleet by surprise instantly crippling three ships before the Republic ships recovered and opened fire on their attackers. Down below on the planet itself Canderous and his teams launched their own attack once they received the signal from the Ebon Hawk, chaos quickly rained as the leaders of the Republic and the Jedi tried to recover from the surprise of been attacked at the heart of the Republic itself.


End file.
